Big moment for little fan

Yoliswa Sobuwa

GEORGE-born Ruwan Nel, 8, will forever cherish the memory of dancing and singing with his favourite muso, American rock legend Bruce Springsteen, when he performed with his E Street Band at the Belville Velodrome in Cape Town.

Ruwan, who was wearing a Springsteen T-shirt, was excited when Springsteen lifted him on his shoulders and started dancing in Cape Town on Wednesday. "It was very nice when I was taken to the stage because I am Bruce's biggest fan.

"I liked it when he put me on his shoulders, but when I looked at the crowd I was a bit scared. There were too many people.

"When he started dancing with me on his shoulders I forgot about everyone else. He then sang Waitin' on Sunny Day, which is one of my favourite songs. I could not believe it when he asked me to sing along," Ruwan said.

His equally excited mother, Lientjie Nel, said they bought their concert tickets last year.

When they arrived at the venue and were still in the queue to get to their seats, Nel and her two children were approached by one of the organisers. "We were all wearing Bruce T-shirts that we printed ourselves. My two-year-old daughter had a T-shirt saying smaller, biggest Bruce fan," she said.

"He [organiser] thought that was cute and said he would make a plan. I did not know what plan he was talking about. After a couple of minutes, he came to fetch us in our seats and took us backstage.

"I can't even describe how I felt when I saw my son on stage," Nel said.