The Kongos brothers are originally from South Africa. Thus, it makes sense that they play a version of arena rock blended with African rhythms. The song “I Don’t Mind” features guitar work very common in African Rock. Also, the accordion player plays a major role, especially on “Come with Me Now”, which has over 123 million streams on Spotify. He has the picture of the gorilla from the cover of their album, Egomaniac, printed on his instrument which expands and shrinks as he plays.
They play a bunch of songs from their brand new album, 1929, Pt.1, which was just released this month. There will be parts 2 and 3 later on. These songs are so new that the crowd doesn’t yet know any of them except for the single, “Pay for the Weekend”.
For the encore, Kongos play Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles. It’s an interesting choice that sounds very good played by them. Lastly, they play “I’m Only Joking”, a great rocker to close out the night and send everyone home smiling. “We’ll be back! I’m sure of it!” says the bass player.
During the show they mention their documentary series, Bus Call. It gives a great behind the scenes look at their life on the road. It’s available on YouTube for free! In the series, you’ll learn that their father was a musician who taught them music when they were very young. In 1996, they moved to Arizona. However, they got their first big break in South Africa. They were playing stadiums there at the same time they were playing in bars back in the states for audiences of less than 10 people.
Cost of a ticket: $25
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
See the latest posted setlist here.
PlaylistHQ 