‘I Dare You concert’: Supremely Assembled!
P. Gavin James, Arts and Culture writer
WITH THE CLEAR goal to raise well-needed funds for the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, the Shaggy Foundation hosted the I Dare You: 1 ticket = 1 life concert on January 3 2009, on the lawns of Jamaica House. Although the organisers might be reluctant to call the event a success in the early stages, the support in terms of turnout was overwhelming.
The pre-show dinner, which was attended by prominent personalities and Jamaican dignities featured an auction, with all funds going to the Bustamante Hospital for Children. On auction was a pair of track shoes owned by triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt. In addition to this, the lucky winner would receive the chance to race the track “wunderkind”. The starting bid for this item was a robust J$ 80,000. The auction also feature art pieces, but the two most notable pieces on display were Graham Davis’ Scotchbonnet, with a solid starting bid of J$300,000 as well as vine construct Growth- From Creation and Beyond, which the starting bid being presented at $40,000. Needless to say the auction was well supported.
Artistically speaking, there was a good array on offer in terms of performances and content. While the times that each act took on stage were short, all acts received enthused responses from a captive audience.
The performance segment, which saw main act Shaggy appearing no less than three different intervals, also featured Rik Rok, Tony Rebel, Tessanne Chin, Christopher Martin, Tarrus Riley , Freddy McGregor, Luciano, Daville, Marcia Griffiths, soca sensation Allison Hinds and overseas act Macy Gray.
There were numerous highlights for the night, but when Shaggy made his way on stage at 9:15 p.m., decked out in a black suit and wearing a grey blazer, black vest, and checkered tie, he was the very picture of a master at work, still at the top of his game. There was a frenzied reaction in the audience as he delivered Mr. Boombastic. It was smooth sailing from then on as he delivered Bonafide and the most positive result for the first segment was received when Rik Rok joined him onstage to belt out the worldwide hit from the Hotshots album, It Wasn’t Me. It was clear from this that Shaggy was intent on taking the audience through his entire catalogue.
Tony Rebel did not drop the ball in terms of performance as he promptly followed with Fresh Vegetable and Just Friends. In a spirited performance, Rebel paid tribute to reggae with the number Trying To Get to You on the Feeling Soul rhythm. Rebel didn’t say a lot during his performance, but acknowledged the crowd by explaining his performance was his way of support to the cause of the Shaggy Foundation.
Rebel was followed by Tessanne Chin, who had an electrifying set, which some patrons argued was too short. She opened with the punk rock number Messenger, which had younger patrons rocking, but it was her hit single, Hideaway, that had seemed to have the audience entranced. Tessanne showed mastery of her strengths and her range and stuck to both.
Immediately following Tessanne Chin was Big Yard recording artiste Christopher Martin. With a slick demeanour, he delivered Jamaican Girl and Take My Love to favourable response. He also took time outside of his performance to underscore the importance of the causes of the Shaggy Make-A -Difference Foundation. Memorable performances came from Tarrus Riley, who delivered singles such as Can’t Sleep and Stay with You from his Parables album. The best reaction for his set came when he delivered She’s Royal , which saw patrons singing along word for word. The crowd was treated to a sing-off/play off of sorts between Tarrus Riley and saxophonist Dean Fraser, which was quite entertaining.
Sean Paul delivered in his set with Give It Up To Me, We Be Burnin’ and the sombre Never Gonna Be The Same with audience approval. Before moving on, Paul said “I wanna see you jumping higher and singing louder,” before delving into Temperature and his single with British singer Estelle Come Over.
On Allison Hind’s arrival, the audience buzzed with excitement and greeted her with the loud cheers. Hinds injected a soca atmosphere into the second set of the night as she yelled “Jamiacaaa,” before launching into her first song, Roll It Gal and Love and Unity, which surprisingly saw some patrons in the platinum section waving their rags in a celebratory fashion. She closed, but not before reminding patrons that she promised something special for Jamaica Carnival 2009.
Receiving commendable reviews also is Daville, who asked the crowd before reeling of his tunes entered saying “Are you enjoying yourselves? ” before singing Always on my Mind . He took tim out to share the stage with Marcia Griffiths, singing her hit All My Life, leaving patrons with a warm feeling.
Reggae crooner Freddy McGregor was next in coming. He delivered reggae hits When Push Come to Shove, Wait for You and Big Ship Sailing On The Ocean to much acclaim in his effective set. Luciano set a spiritual note to the proceedings with Sweep Over My Soul and Its Me Again Jah. He ended his set in a solemn prayer. Burgeoning roots reggae artiste Etana looked regal as she stepped out, performing songs like Warrior Love, I Am Not Afraid and Roots, all receiving good responses. Just the sight of her walking on stage was enough to make you smile before she even played a note.
Roots reggae outfit Morgan Heritage followed Etana , opening with Down by the River , One and Only, and the socially introspective number How Come?, but their greatest crowd reaction would come when they were joined onstage by Buju Banton to perform The 23rd Psalm. The ‘Gargamel’ carried the baton in his solo segment with the singles All by Myself and Hills and Valleys in a lively but brief set.
In her short stint, American R&B and soul singer Macy Gray followed, delivering and So Glad Your’e Here, I Love You Now and Forever, her 1999 hit I Try, which was familiar with the audience.
In his third appearance on stage for the night, Shaggy was joined surprise guest artiste Lady Saw, amid spotlights and screams,who had earlier delivered her heartfelt number No Less Than A Woman, and while sharing the stage with Shaggy, they performed a rendition to Shaggy’s recently released single Badman Don’t Cry to the delight of the audience.
Not to be be outdone was 2009 Reggae Grammy nominee Elephant Man, (who seemed to be wearing Gucci right down to the socks) who by all reactions had the most explosive performance. In his signature inimitable fashion, he marched on stage with Badman Forward, Badman Pull Up to a frenzied response. After asking the crowd ‘Do you want to go home?’ to a resounding ‘No’ , he quickly segued into his 2003 hit Signal Di Plane which had practically everyone dancing. He could not close his set without delivering crowd pleasers Gully Creeper and Sweep, while inviting a young crowd member to participate in the dancing display. This brought about an equally vociferous response. He closed his monster set in a reflective mood, taking the energy down many notches singing the 1985 single We Are the World, much to the surprise of the audience. Often raising his hands in the air for emphasis on specific lyrics, or to acknowledge the audience. The homestretch was completed by closing surprise act Barrington Levy closed proceedings in the same sombre mood with Vice Versa Love, but not before performing Living Dangerously and Too Experienced before the Grand gala at 1:10 a.m. . All things considered it was a good production , and more than worth all the effort put in by organizers. Patrons left the show satisfied, obviously unaffected by the non appearance of J Holiday , Sean Kingston and Tyson Beckford who were billed to appear, but were unavailable.
SEE MORE IN THE GLEANER:
Shaggy and friends rock Jamaica House for charity
Shaggy and friends
Platinum plated
Shaggy makes the difference
Shaggy, the singing Obama
Shaggy: Making a difference
Toots music donation to Bustamante Children ears
KEEP READING FOR MORE POSTStED ARTICLES AND PHOTOS!!!!
Links in Technorati
Add to del.icio.us
Subscribe to RSS