I was lucky enough to get a last-minute ticket to see Sixto Rodriguez on his current South African tour. Having just watched Searching for Sugarman, I realised that it would be mutually beneficial to go to the concert; for me to show respect for the man's talent and contribution to the world and for him to use that talent by performing for his fans. And they were there in their thousands. I asked the man next to me if he was a big Rodriguez fan and he said, "You know then!" - a good old 1970s phrase - and he sang and clapped throughout like a teenager although in his 60s. He told me that he didn't care whether Rodriguez sang well or not, he just wanted to see him on the stage in real life. And I think that was the attitude of most of the audience.
Before the show started, Rodriguez's daughter stepped out from behind the curtain to wave and take pictures of the audience - a heartwarming and endearing moment as she recorded the world's appreciation of her dad, which was so long in coming.
The performance was everything I hoped for and more. The old familiar songs that created such a following in the South Africa of the 1970s have not lost their message and forty years later he still has his unique and so listenable style. His daughters were close at hand to lead him on and off stage, as failing eyesight makes him seem frail, but his arms are still strongly muscled from years of labour on construction sites and, of course, playing guitar.
I wore my Rodriguez hat, and so did he.
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