Black Sabbath @ Sun City, Bophuthatswana, August 1, 1987
Lineup:
- Vocals - Tony Martin
- Guitar - Tony Iommi
- Bass - Dave Spitz
- Drums - Terry Chimes
- Keyboards - Geoff Nicholls
In the 1980's, the UK-based Artists Against Apartheid (AAA) started to focus on the role played by those working in the entertainment industry in propping up apartheid. AAA pushed for the complete cultural isolation of South Africa, including Sun City in the "independent" apartheid homeland of Bophuthatswana. As a consequence, fewer musicians played Sun City in the latter half of the decade, and many of those who previously had done so pledged not to do so again, and thereby had their names removed from the UN black list (e.g. Elton John, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton and Queen). Those that did perform at Sun City were heavily criticized, especially within the press.
Black Sabbath were banned from a Dutch concert hall in Tilburg when the owner heard that they had played at Sun City in 1987. By 1989, the AAA had essentially ended the steady flow of musicians to South Africa. ("Popular Music Censorship in Africa", Michael Drewett & Martin Cloonan, 2006, p.27)
As politically incorrect as it may have been, I was 26, metal-starved and was at the Black Sabbath concert at Sun City. It was one that I wasn't prepared to miss, and I'm glad that I didn't. What a show...one of my best ever! There were a total of six gigs played in Sun City. Sabbath played on Saturday and Sunday, over the course of three weekends.
The dates of these gigs were July 25/26, August 1/2 and August 8/9. These photos are from the gig on Saturday, August 1, 1987 and feature the friends who travelled there with me - Schalk Willem Vorster, Andre Carel Smith, his girlfriend of the month and Debra Childs.
Cameras were strictly prohibited at Sun City (and all patrons were searched before entering the arena), but I managed to smuggle the body of my Pentax ME Super into the venue in my underpants! My girlfriend did the same with the 50mm camera lens. We managed to get right to the front of the stage, and I shot off a roll of 24 frames that magical night. A quarter of a century since the concert, these rare (and copyrighted) images are seeing the light of day for the first time.
Typical 1987 Set List:
01. Neon Knights
02. Children of the Sea
03. War Pigs
04. Die Young
05. Drum Solo
06. Iron Man
07. Born to Lose
08. Guitar Solo
09. Black Sabbath
10. Glory Ride
11. Heaven & Hell
12. Children of the Grave
13. The Shining
14. Paranoid
See my full set of photos of Sabbath at Sun City HERE
