As the surprise closing act at the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day in Johannesburg, South Africa, American R&B singer Brandy would have been hoping for a good turnout. But last Saturday she ended up cutting short her set after playing two songs at the near-deserted First National Bank Stadium. There were reportedly only 40 people in the 90,000-seat stadium by the time she appeared on stage.
Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had watched football and rugby matches. The audience began to leave their seats during the musical segment of the show. David Jenkins, Elvis Blue, Salif Keita and D’Banj played to a diminishing crowd, until finally Brandy made her entrance. By that point SABC, South Africa’s national TV channel, had already abandoned their broadcast of the concert.
Kabomo, a South African musician who was at the concert until the end, tweeted: “Brandy [just] performed to an empty stadium. With the stadium lights on. She sulked after two songs and walked off…it was late. People didn’t know there was a concert after the games. No one knew Brandy was around.” Neither Brandy nor her management have commented on the night’s events.