While the turnout at the annual Mbombela Music Festival disappointed organisers and sponsors and the cold tried to deter the crowd as the night went on, festivities continued in high spirits.
Acts such as soulful a capella trio The Soil, Fistaz Mixwell known for his hit song Hade Mabebeza and DJ Skeelo warmed up the crowd ahead of the evening's most anticipated act, Durban kwaito artist L'Vovo Derrango.
L'Vovo was chosen as the main act for the Amstel Golden Hour performance, something he described as one of the greatest honours bestowed upon him.
His high energy levels were infectious and his performance left us wanting more, as he promised.
Standing in front of the stage during L'Vovo's performance was a bad idea as women continued to scream while the Palesa singer dropped one dance move after the next, hit after hit – supported by a live band and Mapintsha of the popular Durban kwaito group Big Nuz, as well as his hype man, Faraday. This was only the third time he ever performed with a live band, which he will hopefully do more of as it really brought his already enjoyable music to life.
In 2007, L'Vovo was involved in a car accident in which two people died. Following the accident, the singer said that his greatest fear was that he would never be able to dance again, and that fear seems very real when you watch how much effort and energy he puts into his performance onstage.
Ahead of his Saturday night performance, which started and ended with fireworks and confetti, L'Vovo – who sometimes refers to himself in the third person – said that fans can always expect good music and good stage performances from him.
"In my music I speak about L'Vovo. I speak about relevant things, things that I have seen and things that have happened. I want my fans to sing along to my songs and also learn from my songs," said L'Vovo.
He also said that he believed he came with the right sound at the right time, which is why he is still around after releasing six albums.
While it is hard to stay relevant in the music industry, artists such as L'Vovo have seen many artists come and go.
I believe that L'Vovo is going to be around for a very long time.
The writer's travel and accommodation was provided by Amstel.