There’s one wherever a guitar rips deep into the night. A grizzled greybeard wandering around, black label in hand, benevolent smile shining on the random rock groupies scattered around in rhythmically bopping groups.
They’re dressed in a hippieish assortment of threads, often tropical-themed button-down shirts, flaunting their soupstrainers (some plaited and beaded) and sometimes trailing a vaguely disturbing odour of old socks and hubbly bubbly.
In general, they come across as a bit dodgy. But that’s okay: at any festival worth it’s salt, most people are a bit dodgy. Besides, they’re probably your one-stop-cheap-weed-shop. And they look so innocent when they’re passed out in the shade of a tree, sleeping off the night’s excess. You just want to buy them a boerie roll. And back away fast when they try to engage you in conversation.
There were several of these golden oldies at the Peace Starts In The Park concert at The Brightwater Commons on Saturday. Including one that looked like Koos Kombuis, except he was dressed like my dad. He headbanged to Straatligkinders’ cover of Kurt Darren’s Kaptein Span Die Seile. That’s how I knew he wasn’t my dad. Or Koos Kombuis.
All in, it was the most random collection of people I’ve ever seen in one spot. Parents, toddlers and tweens. Teens with denim shorts riding halfway down their butts. Well, either that, or there was an extra flesh-coloured band of material to make it look like her butt hung out. I couldn’t figure out exactly but it was disturbing. A middle-aged redhead with a poodle perm, trying to sokkie, but falling over the skinny-clad legs of some unimpressed emo kids. A group of skater boys, oversize sneakers clomping down the paths, boards in tow. And all colours and cultures, making a stand (or doing a dance) for some peace.
Peace Starts In The Park is the brainchild of Wonderboom frontman Cito and a group of friends and equally passionate co-workers, and is hopefully the first of many such events to come. It’s only a part of a collective of projects to promote International Peace Day and Peace One Day 2010. And watching the likes of Wonderboom, Evolver One, Dance You’re On Fire and Straatligkinders working the allsorts crowd left me with the feeling that, even if just for a little while, peace is, probably, not so far-fetched. Especially if you get your bankie from that greybeard first!
Tags: Dance You're On Fire, Evolver One, grizzled grey beards at music festivals, International Day Of Peace, Kaptein Span Die Seile, Koos Kombuis, Kurt Darren, Peace One Day 2010, Peace Starts In The Park, Straatligkinders, The Brightwater Commons, Wonderboom