Before the top international football teams battle in out on the field for this year’s FIFA World Cup Trophy, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Alicia Keys will get the party started at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert. A host of South American and African music stars, in addition to appearances by football legends and other celebrities will join them.

“We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa. It is testament to the universal and unifying power of football and music, and will start the competition off on the right note – of celebration,” FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in a statement.
Colombian superstars Juanes and Shakira, Mali’s acclaimed duo Amadou & Mariam, desert blue’s outfit Tinariwen, Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, and Benin’s Angelique Kidjo will also perform live on stage. Other acts include host country South Africa - rock acts BLK JKS and the Parlotones, and folk singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela. Other acts will be revealed in the following weeks.
“We believe sports and music transcend cultural, language and geographic barriers, and through the official FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert, we will present the sights and sounds of unity and celebration for an unforgettable, must-see experience,” said Emmy Award-winning producer Kevin Wall, who organized and produced the concert with his company Control Room, which also helped pull off Live Earth 2007.
This is the first time the Cup has been staged in Africa. The concert takes place June 10 at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg’s Soweto Township on the day before the 2010 tournament gets underway. Tickets are priced from 450 rand ($62) to 1,150 rand ($158) and are already on sale. However, if you are not one of the 40,000 fans in the Stadium audience on June 10, you can watch the concert on TV as it will be broadcasted to hundreds of millions worldwide.
More importantly, all net proceeds from the concert will go towards 20 Centers For 2010, the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The purpose is to build 20 centers across Africa that would offer education and healthcare services as well as football training to disadvantaged communities.
The official song for the FIFA World Cup 2010, was finally announced and you can listen it here: Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 9:06 am and is filed under News.