Peter Gabriel to star in 46664 concert

If the world could have one father, the man we would want to be our father is Madiba - Peter Gabriel

International superstars Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox will again top the bill at the 46664 concert in Johannesburg in December, it has been announced.

They will be joined on stage by Ludacris, Corinne Bailey Rae, the Goo Goo Dolls, Razorlight and Jamelia.

The rest of the line-up of international and South African performers will be announced by former president Nelson Mandela on October 29, the organisers said in a statement.

The concert will be the fifth held under the banner of the HIV/Aids charity founded in 2002 using Mandela’s prison number, but the first on World Aids Day - December 1.

Gabriel and Lennox appeared at the first 46664 concert in Cape Town in 2003, and again at a concert in Norway in 2005 while Lennox also starred in a concert in George.
"From the pain comes the suffering, from the suffering comes the dream, from the dream comes the vision, from the vision comes the people, from the people comes the power, from the power comes the change, but if the world could have one father, the man we would want to be our father is Madiba, Mr Nelson Mandela," Gabriel told the Norwegian crowd.

Lennox dedicated herself to fighting HIV/Aids and social injustice after meeting Mandela in Cape Town, an event she has credited with changing her life.

Ludacris hoped the Johannesburg concert would be "another stepping stone to finding a cure (for HIV/Aids).

"It’s a shame that after all these years we still have to raise awareness for a disease that continues to infiltrate communities, countries and families," said the 2007 Grammy Award winner for Best Rap Album.
"But I am proud to be able to stand by Nelson Mandela, a man of dignity, power, strength and change and one who always leads by example."

Mandela was someone she had admired since she was a child, said another Grammy Award winner, Corinne Bailey Rae.

"His application of forgiveness and justice are an example to the world, and I hope the concert will go a long way to raising awareness about HIV/Aids," she said.

GooGoo Dolls vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik defined the concert as the most important performance of his career.

"It is a privilege to be a part of an event that helps relieve the suffering of so many human beings and is educating so many young people so that someday no-one will suffer," he said.