“Algoa FM is proud to announce that we have secured two dates on Johnny Clegg’s Final Journey Tour,” says Alfie Jay, operations director of Algoa FM. “Since learning about his retirement plans earlier this year, we’ve been in negotiations to secure an Eastern Cape date on his busy schedule and are delighted that we’ve been able to make it work. Without a doubt Johnny Clegg is one of the greatest performers South Africa has ever produced and we are honored that he has humbly agreed to partner with us. Together with our audience, Algoa FM has been supportive of Johnny Clegg and his music since our first on air date in 1986 and it is truly hard to imagine that this will be the last time we get to see him perform. Nonetheless, we are looking forward to it with the Spirit of a Great heart!”
The Eastern Cape shows will be held at The Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November.
Nearly forty years after he began one of music’s most remarkable careers, Johnny Clegg is embarking on his Final World Tour, titled The Final Journey.
Due to exceptional public demand and SOLD OUT shows in the first phase of the World tour, Johnny Clegg has added additional South African and London shows to his Final Journey World Tour, with a second show at the Grand Arena in Cape Town on Friday 30th June; a return season of three extra shows at the Teatro at Montecasino from 10 to 12 August; and a second show at The Eventim Apollo in London on Friday 18th August.
Johnny Clegg was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and underwent chemotherapy treatment. Throughout the treatment he continued to tour locally and internationally undertaking a nine week tour of USA and CANADA in 2016. Johnny is currently finishing a new album and his autobiography. As he is in remission, Johnny has decided to use this opportunity to perform a final set of concerts in SA and overseas to thank his fans for their support over the 35 year long journey that spans his career.
Through his bands Juluka and Savuka, Clegg pioneered a uniquely South African hybrid music during a time of cultural and racial segregation. His music always offered a vision of how South Africans could find each other and the possibilities of a non-racial future. For this reason, the South African leg of the tour has tremendous import for him as it was South Africa and all South Africans that shaped him as an artist.
The tour will be built around Clegg’s unparalleled repertoire of songs which began with the release of Juluka’s Universal Men in 1979 and continued through the Savuka years and his more recent solo work.
Clegg’s many different hits and live favourites will be brought to life by the biggest production ever created for a Clegg live show, supported by his world-class live band. A highlight of the shows will be the different styles of dance that have been integral to Clegg’s life and work, ever since he learnt the fundamentals of Zulu music and traditional Zulu Inhlangwinini dancing with Charlie Mzila while still a teenager.
As the tour unfolds, there will be some special surprises lined up for the audiences.
Johnny Clegg said "This will be my final set of public performances for my fans in SA and around the world. I am immensely excited to be able to bring to them an autobiographical, audiovisual and intimate account of my life through my music and The Dance. "
“Johnny Clegg is more than just one of this country’s finest musicians and entertainers. He is a national treasure who has brought together all South Africans and reminded us of what makes us great as a country.” says Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa.
"Johnny is taking time off to write his autobiography and spend time with his family and do the things he hasn't been able to do due to an incredible work schedule", said long time Johnny Clegg manager and promoter Roddy Quin. “It's been a privilege to have travelled such a long journey with Johnny and an honour to have worked and shared so many incredible experiences with him. It has truly been inspiring. And so we are excited to present The Final Journey with 4 incredible shows in SA in July and the tour, which will stretch across the world over the next few months. Johnny will still continue writing, recording and will partake in a few private engagements."
Johnny Clegg: The Final Journey World Tour represents the peak of a career that has combined near matchless music success with sustained - and significant - social, political and cultural impact.
Clegg’s recorded output as part of Juluka, Savuka and solo has earned him millions of record sales, countless awards and nominations (including a Grammy nomination) and multiple international releases, all eagerly consumed by a truly global audience. He was the forerunner of combining Western musical styles with African ones, sparking a revolution in South African music that can be still be heard in the work of artists today.
Most potently, Clegg’s ability to illuminate the connectedness of all human beings through his music meant he was a pioneer of social cohesion in South Africa. He also provided a portal for international audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the anti-apartheid movement and the journey towards, and ultimately into, freedom. For this, Clegg has received many different honours including an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), the South African Order of Ikhamanga and the French Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) , as well as several honorary doctorates.
Additional South African and international dates are set to be added later in the year for what promises to be the most powerfully emotional live shows of a truly singular South African – a dancer, anthropologist, singer, songwriter, academic, and activist like no other.
30th June and 1st July (Saturday 1st July Sold Out) – Grandwest Arena, Cape Town
6th, 7th, 8th & 9th July – Montecasino, Johannesburg – SOLD OUT
29th July – Durban ICC Arena, Durban
10th, 11th & 12th August – Montecasino, Johannesburg
18th and 19th August (Saturday 19th August Sold Out) – Eventim Apollo, London
20th September – Dubai Opera, Dubai 14th October - Berkelee Theatre, Boston 16th October - Palais Montcalm, Quebec 18th October - Koerner Hall, Toronto 19th October - Place des Arts, Montreal 23rd & 24th October - BB Kings, New York City 26th October - Keswick Theatre, Glenside (Philadelphia) 27th October - Warner Theatre, Washington DC
4th & 5th November – The Boardwalk ICC, Port Elizabeth
Tickets for the South African dates of Johnny Clegg’s Final Journey World Tour are available through Computicket.com or by calling 083 915 8000.
London tickets are available from www.eventimapollo.com & www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Dubai tickets are available from www.dubaiopera.com
Tickets for this unmissable event are selling fast as fans ensure they don’t miss this South African on his Final World Tour.
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