Save Our Stages

3 days of live music in aid of live performance

“The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope.” Nelson Mandela

Mandela’s words ring true across the liberated South African tapestry and beyond. Today, even more so than in the decades of his influence, South Africa sits in a dark and even more polarised place thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Socially and economically the situation looks dire and the light at the end of this tunnel is but a dim sliver of hope for the live performance industry.

The current struggle of the live performer is more nuanced than ever. Beyond the fear of survival and “where will the next rent payment come from”, there is a profound loss of passion and purpose, a void fills the once boisterous gig to gig lifestyle. All that is left is “what now”? How will this end and is this a time to stick it through or move on to different (hopefully more sustainable) pastures?

This loss affects the whole spectrum of live musicians and performers, from the eager newbies who just got their first gig before the pandemic hit to the golden oldies that have been rocking South African stages for decades. The devastation is the same, the void is vast and endless and hope is a struggle bus…its’ just not getting better.

Let us share with you a little statistic that’ll make you quake in your boots: as per “Mail and Guardian”, 41% of artists have sold some of their instruments and equipment to make ends meet. Our artists are at their end, hope is dwindling and the situation, for the lack of a better word, is kak!

So, what do we do? How do we recover from this?

Not a clue, BUT we have a little something planned that will keep as many live acts going as possible until the pandemic loosens its grip. The tie over solution, a live concert available to via steaming and national broadcast, called Save Our Stages. This 3 Day online festival will bring SA’s hottest artist straight to your couch and rock your socks off without any more effort than it takes for you to reach for that glass of chardonnay at the end of a long locked down day (if you still have stash)- one click and you are set. And here comes the best news…it is absolutely FREE.

But that’s not all…

In this hour of need the Save Our Stages festival aims to create a live performance opportunity for local artists as well as a live donation portal that will feed the SOS fund built to administer financial support for live performance artists.

It will be a weekend of online entertainment and industry support like we’ve never seen before in this country. This is more than just a show, this is a fund with a future.

Save Our Stages aims to raise funds during this live 3 Day event where all proceeds go into the SOS Fund. The fund and all donations will be managed by an external law firm, ensuring optimal growth of the fund and unbiased and fair distribution.

Save Our Stages will be available to stream online from the 23rd to the 25th of July 2021. A podcast version of the festival will be made available as well so that anyone who isn’t able to witness their favourite act live can relive the moment in their own time. This 3 Day lineup will include everything from live music to stand-up comedy, with opportunities for shout outs, prizes and the chance to be part of the live event via our interactive social media channels. It’s a couch weekend that will rock your socks off.

Save Our Stages online streaming performance festival is built to entertain you from the comfort of your own home. It is proudly powered by Izzit Productions.