IRIE JAMBOREE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS AT BARCLAYS

Next up was the headliner, newly crowned monarch of reggae Damain “Junior Gong” Marley.  He took command of the stage like a seasoned veteran, invoking memories of his departed father, global luminary Bob Marley. He blasted off into tirade of familiar hits and the crowd roared to his every lyric. He was later joined by brothers Julian and Stephen Marley who branded the concert with Marley magic, delivering consumate classics including spirited renditions of “Exodus,” and “Road To Zion.”  However, the audience went wild when midway through his set, Irie Jamboree executive Bobby Clarke appeared on stage, got down on his knees and proposed to the love of his life and bride to be Syn Dawkins. Gong resumed performing and segued into “Affairs of the Heart,” as the excited couple sealed their love with a kiss. Marley encored with his anthem ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ that proved an extatic climax to a molten-hot performance.

Lady Saw’s show was billed as her last performance as a dancehall artist before formally entering the upper realms of gospel music.  It was to be the performance of her life, one so x-rated it would make even the most seasoned porn prince blush. Lady Saw summoned the reigning “King of Dancehall” Beenie Man to join her for a special rendition of their hit single “Healing.” Saw’s next summons was for Spragga Benz to turn himself in dead or alive for demonstrations of various sexual positions. Spragga obeyed the command and the crowd flew into a tizzy. The climax of her performance, however, was her luscious and daring delivery of her current hit single “Heels On”. She called upon the audience to participate and her fans jumped behind her like lambs to the slaughter.  

The “Fireman” Capleton, who brought the curtain down on the three day festival, captivated the audience as they held their cells and lighters up during his 20 minute presentation. Showing true camaraderie, he called Shabba Ranks back on stage. They two worked well, parlaying into an energetic tag-team style medley that sustained the energy level and brought the show to an explosive close inside the world famous arena.

As Bob Marley sang many years ago, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain,” and the near capacity patrons certain felt only elation as they exited the Barclays Center for what proved to be a memorable night of superlative reggae music.