Chris Brown performed at a sold-out FNB stadium, Johannesburg on Saturday, giving fans a historic performance that was worth every cent as he was gifted with a significant moment in his singing career that started in 2002.
More than 90,000 fans showed up to help Brown make history, and when he finally spoke to the audience after singing his heart out, the singer made sure to tell fans how special the night was for him.
I’ve been waiting my whole life for this kind of moment, he said before performing a firm favourite, Forever.
The singer, who has been “canceled” since the emergence of his history of abuse and legal troubles, expressed his gratitude to the audience for making his dream come true and said he’s been longing to touch down in SA again since his last visit.
I just want to say from the bottom of my heart I love you guys so much. This night means a lot to me. I ain’t been out here in a long time. I’ve been rocking for two and a half hours, and y’all just let me rock. I appreciate that,” he said before the audience started chanting, Breezy!
Brown’s concerts sparked controversy in South Africa due to his history of abuse and legal troubles. He notoriously assaulted his former girlfriend and singer Rihanna in 2009, leaving her with severe facial injuries. Brown was charged with felony assault and pleaded guilty.
Since then, Brown has had multiple assault charges and sexual assault allegations. Outrage over his concerts spawned an online petition by Women For Change to have them canceled.
Despite the controversies that have followed Brown throughout his career and in the lead-up to the Breezy in South Africa Concert, the fans who disregarded his controversial past to honor the invitation to watch him perform got their money’s worth.
The multi-talented musician, who has one of the most impressive music catalogs, held nothing back when he planned his set for one of Africa’s largest stadiums.
Having been dubbed the “Michael Jackson of his generation and GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) by his fans, Brown proved why the phrases are not in vain.
Both Brown and his 18 dancers brought nothing but their A-game to every performance. Tyler Terry, one of Brown’s dancers who is also a firm favorite with his fans, stood out, dressed in Lakers gear with Kobe Bryant’s iconic number 24.
The hitmaker performed everything from early classics like Yo (Excuse Me Miss) and Run It! to his latest chart-toppers such as Residuals, Sensational, and Angel Numbers/Ten Toes.
His set, which lasted over two hours, gave fans everything and more with excellent production, which included flying above the crowd when he sang Wall To Wall and being lifted out of the stage Julius Malema EFF rally style.
The man also gave energetic dance breaks, giving his fans some of the iconic choreography they have seen in his music videos.
There were also several shirtless moments for the ladies who fuelled him with loud, squeaky screams as he performed his sexy songs like Strip and Take You Down.
Brown also changed his outfit multiple times, much to his fans’ delight.
First, he wore a beige basketball-inspired outfit with glitter-embellished pants, then changed into blue jeans and a bright yellow basketball shirt, reminiscent of the 16-year-old Chris Brown, who sang and danced through what looked like a high school corridor with lockers back in 2005.
His third outfit, an oversized shirt and short combo, showed his love for graffiti. It is the outfit in which he had a dance break to music remixed with Amapiano beats to give off that South African flavor.
He ended the night in a torn vest, showing off his tattoos and brown pants. The performer also made sure some lucky fans had keepsakes as he threw a jacket, a hat, and a shirt into the crowd, sparking major envy from those fans who had no chance to catch the items.
As we left the stadium, in our thousands, there was an unspoken consensus that Brown was intentional when tailoring our very own Super Bowl experience.
There was no sense of feeling short-changed by Breezy from the crowd, who witnessed Brown’s commitment to keeping up with SA through how he incorporated some of the popular local sounds into his set.
His tour deejay, DJ Fresh, kept the audience’s energy up during breaks by playing South African classics like Brenda Fassie’s Weekend Special, Riky Rick’s Boss Zonke, and Mgarimbe’s Sister Bethina when he wasn’t playing some of Brown’s songs that didn’t cut for the night.
Overall, and in the words of ama2000s, the vibes were immaculate!
Regarding concerts featuring big international acts, fans seemed pleased with the Breezy in SA concert organisers compared to the Global Citizen: Mandela 100 Festival concert of 2018 experience, which Beyonce and Jay Z headlined.
Unfortunately, the Global Citizen concert was marred with negative reviews of production (like sound) and logistic (coordination of transport) elements, as well as the safety of patrons.
In contrast, Chris Brown fans have mostly shared praises for this concert’s organisation.
The SABC reported before the concert that the Gauteng Events, Safety and Security Planning Committee (ESSPC) said it was fully prepared to ensure a secure and enjoyable experience for fans attending the concert.
We can confirm that from a concertgoer experience, the logistics around Brown’s concert were as smooth as a concert-going experience can be.
The Park and Ride options proved to be a genius idea as they minimised the need for e-hailing (which inevitably also minimised cellphone snatching activities) and were relatively easy to navigate. While it took some hours for the buses to move at a decent speed due to the bottleneck when everyone was making their way out, it was not an unpleasant experience as the traffic was controlled.
As the masses walked out of the stadium, staff members with “Need Help” posters directed the crowd, ensuring that everyone knew where to go, from the buses to the parking and pick-up spots.
There was also a prominent police presence both in and out of the stadium.
Overall, it was one of the best concerts we’ve had in SA in a long time, in terms of event-planning standards and, of course, the fact that Brown had a crowd of 94 000 eating from the palm of his hands.
On his Instagram, the singer once again thanked South Africa for the love he received, before he headed to a local club, Louis to soak up the South African vibes at the “after party.
South Africa, I love you. See you tomorrow (15 December). First show was history, so let’s make it again!
Day 2 of the Breezy in South Africa Concert will take place on 15 December.
News24 Report.
