And about 5,000 people were sprawled out on the wet lawn to greet them.

They sat in chairs, threw Frisbees and baseballs and licked ice cream cones in the minutes before the group was introduced.

One man, obviously energized by Italy's victory over France in the World Cup soccer game earlier in the day, walked around the outskirts of the crowd carrying a large Italian flag over his shoulder.

When the show started, the spectators were treated to a unique concert experience that was as much about culture as it was about the music.

Hailing from South Africa, the eight-member a capella group performed just 11 songs in the 90-minute set, while taking just a few seconds of rest here and there between songs.

That's a lot of continuous singing.

Formed in 1960 by frontman Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs Zulu tribal songs typical of those created by workers in the diamond mines of South Africa in the 19th century.

They feature intricate harmonies that are so melodic you begin to believe there just has to be a musical instrument being played somewhere in the background.

But there isn't.

Dressed in brown and gold shirts, black pants and white shoes, the men of Ladysmith Black Mambazo kicked off their Long's Park performance with "Awu Wemadoda," followed immediately by "Phalamende."

Many of the songs the group performed featured little or no English, but that didn't seem to matter to the spectators.

They didn't need to sing along. They just listened and watched.

Besides the repetitious lyrics and mesmerizing harmonies, Ladysmith Black Mambazo's performance featured lots of acrobatics.

The group members jumped around as they sang and kicked their legs high over their heads.

One of the last songs the group performed was "Phansi," which Shabalala said is a Zulu dance song.

It took the group 20 minutes to get through the song.

Six of the eight members stepped to the front of the stage during the song and performed a few Zulu dance steps to the cheers of the crowd.

After the group members danced, Shabalala motioned for members of the audience to jump up on stage and do a little dancing.

It took a few seconds for anyone to comply with Shabalala's request, but eventually two women took the stage.

They were followed by a young girl, who had the crowd in the palm of her hands.

And then the stage became a free-for-all.

People poured onto the platform. Initially, they did their own thing. Then, one of the group members led them in a few hand-waving, high-kicking moves.

It was a high-energy way to end the group's primary set.

And when virtually no one would leave the park until the group came back out onstage, the members reappeared from the shadows to sing "Amazing Grace."

"We love you," Shabalala said at the end of the song. "Peace. Love. Harmony." blog comments powered by Disqus