Last year, when Rolling Stone asked the legendary country singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson why he’s still touring, he said: “It’s what I’ve always done since I was a boy. I always feel that I’m supposed to sing songs and … write them. And I guess I’ll probably be doing it until they throw dirt on me. It’s not work for me.”

Cape Town audiences witnessed the 77-year old highwayman’s work ethic on Wednesday night when he performed two stripped-down solo sets and an encore of four songs in front of a packed out GrandWest Arena. In the first set he sang cherry-picked songs that covered his retrospective five-decade songwriting career – from 1970’s Kristofferson to 2013’s Feeling Mortal.

His daughter, Kelly, joined him on the vocal harmonies and banjo during the second set, with songs from his albums, The Silver Tongued Devil And I [1971], Third World Warrior[1990], A Moment Forever [1995] and Closer To The Bone [2009]. The songs included “Good Love Shouldn’t Feel So Bad” “The Hero”, “Between Heaven And Here”, “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33” and “The Wonder”.

Rolling Stone was granted a quick five-minute interview with the man himself; he discussed his destiny as a songwriter and his relationship with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

Kristofferson also recalls writing the song “The Eagle and The Bear” and performing it for the late Nelson Mandela. “I was kind of alone in my respect for Nelson Mandela at the time,” he said. “It was like singing for Abraham Lincoln. He was one of the great human beings of our lifetime.”

He described South Africa as “great”. “It reminds me of the first time I went to Nashville. I’m gonna tell Willie [Nelson]. I hope he comes over here.”