Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

The second night of Reggae Sumfest 2009 was actually a bit of a let down for me. This was International Night Number One and the line up was heavy on pop and sparkle which is not really my style of music. The night started early with some great new performers like Ras Penco and Hezron which were followed by strong performances from Lutan Fyah and Coco Tea but the rest of the night was weak and full of pop and r&b artists that did not interest me much.

I took lots of breaks and sat out much of the mid section of this evening . I skipped performances by Jazmine Sullivan and Keri Hilson and the only reason I watched NeYo was to see how he reacted to Jamaicans using his music as they have. He paid tribute to Vybz Kartel and Spice by letting the crowd sing their song to his beat. It was a weak attempt to make a connection with the crowd but it seemed to work Many fans went along with it but there were quite a few hisses and comments about his lawsuit over the use of his music. Seems he has a few people out there that like the Vybz Kartel version of his riddim.

NeYo on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009

I waited it out for the finale with Morgan Heritage and Queen Ifrica but I faded out before the sun came up and Jah Cure went on stage. I was actually sitting on my ass when he went live and I jumped in the bus home while he was performing. I was simply out of gas and unable to stand up any longer after two full days on my feet.

Morgan Heritage put on a strong group performance and then went into solo pieces for Gramps, Peter and the youngest brother and it was a treat to see the many different musical styles they have grown into. Gramps and Peter have more reggae and r&b influences but the younger generation shows more rap and hip hop.

Morgan Heritage Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica has impressed me with her powerful stage presence and her ability to sing gracefully but with power. She did a rendition of Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror and she did it with style. The crowd appreciated her performance and everyone sang along as part of the Sumfest Michale Jackson Tribute.

Queen Ifrica Live at Sumfest 2009

Queen Ifrica tributes Michale Jackson Man in the Mirror at Sumfest 2009

Reggae Sumfest 2009 Friday International Night 1

I was fortunate enough to make it to Reggae Sumfest again this year for the third year in row and it was an awesome event with three nights of simply the best in Jamaican musicians as well as top International performers who made this the best Sumfest I have been to yet. Here is my review of Reggae Sumfest 2009 for Thursday night.

Thursday night is always Dancehall night at Sumfest and this year it was a powerhouse lineup with some of the biggest and hottest names on the Dancehall scene performing on one stage on the same night. It was evident things were going to be different this year as the vibe was more subdued and many major changes were made in the format over years past. The recession hit Sumfest and lots of things were scaled back which seemed to hurt the production which was packed with delays and setbacks but certainly did not curb the enthusiasm or caliber of performers on stage. The Jamaican government had to kick in $500,000US to make sure the show went on but it’s a fair price for the amount of money Sumfest injects into the local economy.

The entire music industry was rocked by the tragic death of Michael Jackson and this years events were in tribute to him and his music and the stars really took to it in force with most of them offering their respects at the least and many of them paying tribute in song during their performances.

Despite the cutbacks there was no shortage of talent on stage and the line up was more of a whos who on the current and past dancehall charts. The night started early and was to run on until the sun came up so I chose to show up a little late in the evening and I was not able to catch the first acts of the evening and I regret missing performances by my good friends Nature and Charly Black but I was blessed to have backstage passes again and I was able to spend some time with them both back stage after their sets and thats always a lot of fun. Jamaican artists are very animated and hanging out with them is more like a party when you put a bunch of them together. They spend lots of time trying to upstage or outshine each other and the commentary and banter are a treat.

I arrived two hours into the show at 10pm and was able to catch I-Octane on stage for the last of his set and the beginning of Prodigal Son before I headed backstage for photos and videos with the stars. I made it back out front to catch the end of Voice Mail who always look good and sound great on stage. These guys should get an award for best dressed group because they have some serious shard looking style every time you see them. Macka Diamond was next on stage and the foul mouthed female gave us her most with a great performance thats just short of a sex show as she touches herself and gyrates in ways your mother wouldn’t approve of. Macka always gives a strong performance and this year was no exception. I was backstage for the beginning of D’Angels performance but able to catch the ending as I ran out front to get some photos. I missed much of Kip Rich and caught the end Demarco on stage before I headed backstage again for more photos.

The drawback to backstage passes is that you often miss out on much of the show as you wait your turn to take some pics or interview an artist. I chose to spend less time backstage and settle for a few pics than to spend the entire evening in the press tent waiting for artist interviews. Some people chose to enjoy Reggae Sumfest from a television monitor backstage but I much prefer the energy and excitement of the front of the stage. It’s all about the music to me but I do enjoy meeting and speaking to the artists when I can. It’s nice to know someone who’s music you respect and I feel it brings you closer to the music in a lot of ways.

Sumfest runs into the early morning of the following day and the main talent usually hits the stage after midnight. Thursday nights star lineup began with Spice who put on an amazing show and her tribute to Michael was one of the more unique and inspired. Check out Spice at Reggae Sumfest on YouTube for more but trust me it was high energy and unique to say the least. Spice took a different direction than many other artists and her tribute was not just her singing a Michael Jackson crowd as many did but her entire set had Thriller style dancers and other examples of his music and style. Spice has truly matured and her music reflects a new found strength and attitude which must come from the recent success she has had as a result of her popular collaboration with Vybz Kartel on Rompin Shop which is the #1 hit single and a smash on the dance floors across Jamaica.

Spice was followed up by Assassin who I missed while backstage but I was there for the Queen of Dancehall Lady Saw when she hit the stage and put on yet another raunchy performance as she proved once again she is the dirtiest female of them all and a force in the dancehall. Her set started out decidedly different and a woman behind me made the comment that Lady Saw had finally gown up but after one song she chnaged from her cutesy dress to a mans Zoot Suit where she proceeded to cup her groin and chant out hardcore lyrics about her pum pum. She got some foreign press agent from in front of the stage to stand before her as she forced him to slap her pum pum and since he didn’t speak english it was hilarious to watch the mess from so close. I don’t mind explicit lyrics from men or women but raunchy dirty foul mouthed garbage is not my favorite style and Lady Saw rides over the edge on occasion. Watch Lady Saw at Reggae Sumfest 2009 on YouTube!!

After Lady Saw it was the heavy hitters from Alliance with Bounty Killer, Mavado and Busy Signal as the next three acts. Bounty Killer had a very strong performance at Sumfest 2009 but he did acknowledge his diss at last years show when he attacked Ninjaman and his brother as batty men but it was once again a different kind of show this year with Bounty offering his respect to Ninjaman who sits in a Jamaican jail on serious charges for harboring a fugitive. At last years show it seemed that Bounty was more harsh and into the clash style and the crowd wasn’t into it as much and Bounty was actually booed at Sumfest 2008 for his lyrics and attack style. This year he kept the insults and attacks minimal and stuck to a hardcore performance and it worked out much better for him.

Bounty was followed up by his #1 protege and the rising star in dancehall Mavado who himself had a great year with hit singles like “So Special” hitting heavy rotation on the dance floors and inspiring Jay-Z to step out of retirement just to do a remix with the “Gully God”. Mavado is my personal favorite and his music has more crossover appeal than Vybz does when you consider more people can understand what he’s saying unlike Vybz who speaks more raw patois. Mavado has a link with the rasta culture and his many references to Jah and Jehovah seem to enhance his popularity. The problem he faces is that Mavado is a studio artist and his music is heavily synthesized which is difficult to play by a live backing band and his live performances with a band are weak in my opinion. I was not impressed with Mavado at Sumfest 2009 which was live but I stood on stage with him just one week later at The Jungle in Negril and he performed to a pre-recorded riddim track and it was a much better show. I would recommend to him he stick to the riddim track and forget live band performances.

Elephant Man came on stage after Mavado and put on another powerful performance that I was sad to miss most of as I was backstage fighting for an interview I never got with Mavado. It’s silly in a sense because I know people that know Mavado and I can probably get an interview with him whenever I wanted to but I ended up catching the end of Elephant Man performance and then I was able to link up with him backstage for a moment as well which made a difference when I saw him on stage at The Jungle the next week. He recognized me from Sumfest and proceeded to have some fun with my by having a girl jump on me and dance unexpectedly which was a shock to me and amusing to about 4000 people at the show.

I also expected a difference in the main performances and I was right. I knew it was going to be a Vybz Kartel night and it was. Vybz Kartel and his Portmore Empire have had an exceptional year since the 2008 performances and his rivalry with ex partner Bounty Killer and Killers Alliance has hit a high point as well with the clash reaching extremes and the entire country is now either Gaza or Gully with the “Gully God” Mavado from Alliance adding fuel to the fire as he blazes his own trail to the top of the Dancehall scene. Some are calling Mavado the new King of Dancehall and this sparked a fire in Beenie Man who has aligned himself with Vybz to defend his self proclaimed title of King of the Dancehall. Beenie seems to have put his weight behind it and got himself crowned the “King of Danceall” in a ceremony on stage this year at Sumfest where he was given a crown and robe in recognition of his contribution to Sumfest and reggae music by Johnny Gourzong the founder of Reggae Sumfest Productions.

Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man both put on strong performances but when the two of them hit the stage at the same time the place lit up with excitement and it was by far the high point of the might with 20,000 plus fans yelling and screaming approval. Beenie led the chants of “Gaza mi say” and the crowds followed him and it got pretty loud for awhile. They performed well together and it seemed a match made in heaven with the two of them benefiting greatly from the partnership. Beenie Man is known as weak amongst many in the new generation because his lyrics are more dance and pop with no gun or violence and his link to Vybz gives him some much needed cred with the gangsta wannabes on the dancehall scene. Vybz on the other had finds Beenie Man legitimizes some of his antics and gives him some respect to the older generation who have no idea what Gaza or Gully really are.

By this time of the night I was burnt and I had seen what I came to see. I rarely make it through to the very end and on this night I bailed out after Vybz and Beenie left the stage. Click here are a selection of pics and don’t forget to check my YouTube page for more videos from Reggae Sumfest 2009 or click any of the links above to see the individual artist videos.

Home > Jamaica Reggae Music Shows > Reggae Sumfest 2009 Thursday Dancehall Night Reggae Sumfest 2009 Thursday Dancehall Night Set list from Reggae Sumfest 2009 Set list from Reggae Sumfest 2009 I-Octane backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Charly Black backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bugle backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Macka Diamond backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 I-Spryng backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Voice Mail on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Macka Diamond backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Nature backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 D'Angel backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Demarco on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Spice on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Demarco on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Kip Rich on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Lady Saw on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Spice back stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Lady Saw back stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bounty Killer on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Mavado on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Bounty Killer Alliance backstage Reggae Sumfest 2009 Elephant Man interviewed backstage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Vybz Kartel on stage for Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel on stage at Reggae Sumfest 2009 Crowds at Reggae Sumfest 2009

The medicine profiles the line.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the first show in the One Love Concert Series held at Negril Escape Resort and Spa and it was one of the best reggae concerts in Negril that I have seen in the two years that I have been living in Jamaica. Jamaicans love music and there have been literally 100′s of shows to see but to be truthful they can often times be aggravating to say the least.

From chatty DJ’s who just can’t let a song play for more than 30 seconds which of course makes it impossible to catch a groove and dance with to the hours and hours of delays and endless technical issues most shows are plagued with because of low grade equipment or inexperienced technicians and ending with the worst the no show artists who never make it on stage because they are not there or the show gets shut down for running to late. It’s unreal to me how messed up some music shows in Negril can actually be and in many ways it really takes away from the overall experience.

Jamaicans love to party hard and late with many events not even starting until 10PM and running well past the 2am curfew occasionally enforced by zealous police officers who will shut an event down sometimes before the promoters and artists even get them started. I cannot tell you how many times I have expected to see a Jamaican artist at a reggae show in Jamaica and I ended up leaving home early in the morning of the next day wondering how things ended up so. I have even wondered to myself on one or two occasions if the artist was ever going to show up at all.

I went to a Vybz Kartel show at Club Scrub A Dub and it was 2 hours behind schedule when gun shots went off outside the club and a hail of rocks and debris were tossed over the fence at the police force who immediately shut the show down and evacuated everyone. About 200 people ran out and fled the scene and of course the promoters kept all the money for a show that never was. Imagine how much money you can make it you dont actually have to pay the artist but instead pay a couple gangsters to pop some shots. Sounds off the wall but not in Jamaica.

The reggae concerts held at Negril Escape are far and away a different experience and one I can guarantee you will enjoy. To begin with the show starts promptly at 8PM and end by midnight which makes it so you can still stand up when the main artist hits the stage and at this show people were actually dancing rather than simply swaying to the beat. At 2am it can be a little harder to get motivated by reggae music but there was no problem at the Negril Escape shows because by 2am I was well asleep. Many of the people at the show were guests of the resort and many of them commented on how convenient it was to watch a reggae concert on the edge of the Caribbean Sea and then have the luxury of walking a few steps to your room after a night cap at the seaside bar and restaurant.

The first show in the series featured headline artist Queen Ifrica with her friend Fyahkin along with local Negril artist Edge Michael and DJ Gemini who kicked things off on the turntables with some high energy mixing of top reggae hits to get the crowd warmed up. Edge Michael is a popular Westmoreland musician with a number of hit songs in rotation on the local radio stations and his performance at Tuesday nights show was crystal clean and reflective of the maturity and experience this young artist has gained in the last year. Edge Michael is great singer and stage performer but his real talent may be in self promotion and marketing as you can see his face in about a zillion places from Black River to Mobay and all parts in between.

This show was my first experience listening to Fyahkin perform and I was impressed with his vocal abilities and stage prescience which were strong but not over powering as so many young Jamaican males can be. It’s strange to me how often a young artist will come out on stage screaming out unintelligible lyrics that not even most Jamaicans can understand in the confused belief that noise makes them seem more powerful.

The backing band was also very impressive and a great improvement over the regular house band used in so many shows around Negril. I won’t give out there name because they are friends of mine but it’s a bit tiring to hear the same band play at so many locations in Negril. For the longest time I thought there was only one keyboard player in the whole of Negril because this one guy was so popular. What I found out later was he was the cheapest and one of the few who had his own keyboard. This show was much better and the band held their own for a great acoustic set and even got compliments from Queen Ifrica who commented on how well they performed and how it inspired her to push herself. You can see in the attached video on YouTube that the band did a great job and the bass player should be complimented for his ability to play so well with Ifrica during her many rap sessions.

Queen Ifrica is well known as a Rasta Lioness who writes and sings songs of empowerment for the women and underprivileged youth of Jamaica. She is very proud of her African heritage and a force on the rasta music scene both locally and on an international level as well. Her style is unique and influenced by the very best in roots reggae with an infusion of hip hop and rap that makes her a cross over in many genres. The crowd reflected this with her many fans from places like Russia, Canada, Italy, America and of course Jamaica all singing along word for word with her more popular songs and clapping and dancing along as she performed some of her new material on the recently released new album titled “Montego Bay”.

Queen Ifrica performed at Reggae Sumfest (yes I went and I am still writing articles and processing video on that) and there was a huge difference in her two sets with this being more up close and personal. Queen Ifrica seemed to appreciate that and she made contact with just about everyone in attendance in some way or another. The Negril Escape is a great setting for a show and the layout is such that everyone gets a great view of the stage and you almost feel like its a private show when the artist is so close. Ifrica took things further by coming out from back stage well before her scheduled performance where she spent time mingling on the edges of the crowd signing autographs and posing for photogrpahs before she ever sang a tune and then she spent at least an hour making sure to sign every autograph and taking every photo her fans wanted. It worked out well as she must have sold over 50 CD’s that she sat and signed and of course the fans were ecstatic to be able to get so close to her.

I never do understand how some people can go to a show and then stand a mile away from the stage and watch a giant TV screen to see the show. For me its aways best to get as close to the artist as possible so you can feel the energy and emotion they put into their music and the One Love Concert Series is the perfect place for that. The Negril Escape Resort and Spa is located on the Negril Cliffs and unlike many shows on the beach you can actually experience the natural beauty of watching a show on the waters edge without the interruption of a fence and security guards to keep out the beach people and idlers who want to catch a free show. At Negril Escape you get to watch the show under the watchful eyes of the moon and stars with nothing in the way but the cool sea breeze.

I look forward to the rest of the series with next weeks show featuring Luciano and my good friend and local artist Timmi Burrel. If you are in Negril and looking for a great reggae show then you must check out the One Love Concerts held Tuesday nights in season at Negril Escape. They have over 20 shows scheduled this year and it makes for a great reggae vacation when you book reservations based on your choice for the best show and your favorite reggae artist. With top names like Queen Ifrica, Luciano and Etana to name but a few it seems the place to be for live reggae music in Negril is the Negril Escape Resort and Spa which is putting on the best run shows with high grade talent in the perfect setting.

Check out the Negril Escape Facebook page or their website for more details and where to book your Jamaican reggae vacation.

Join us for the One Love Concert Series held at the Negril Escape Resort and enjoy an up close and intimate performance by some of the very best reggae stars in Jamaica including Queen Ifrica, Luciano and Etana.

One Love Series Concept:
These concerts are simply one major act (with an opening act) , live in concert, so the experience is up close and personal. Our shows are extremely well organized, in a breathtaking setting on the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea and so they make great impressions on locals and tourists alike. They start on time and are done before midnight. They are harassment free, and yet, open to the patrons (advantage of being on the cliffs). Our Sound Quality, Lighting, decorations including multimedia screens and the quality of the performances make our shows some of the best in Western Jamaica

The line up for Reggae Sumfest 2009 has been released and it looks like it’s going to be one of the best shows ever. The Thursday Night lineup has many of Jamaica’s top dancehall artists performing on the very same night in what should be an explosive evening of high energy music and talent.

This year the war between Vybz Kartel and the Gaza Empire versus Mavado and the Bounty Killer Alliance has hit a new peak with even Beenie Man choosing sides in the battle for dancehall supremacy. The self proclaimed King of Danchall has new talent chipping away at his throne and he seems to be concerned about his position as leader of the genre. He has taken sides against Mavado and laid claims to his title as King over the objections of many a dancehall DJ who now claim that Mavado is the new crowned leader. Who knows what will happen but there seems no doubt something is going down.

The rest of the week offers powerhouse concerts with the leading musicians on the international and Jamaican music charts with a Friday lineup featuring major local artists such as Morgan Heritage and Jah Cure plus pop star Ne-Yo and Keri Hilson to name a few. This night should be great but I think the night of nights to be there this year will in fact be Saturday night which features none other than youngest son of Jamaicas favorite family Damian Jr Gong Marley on stage with other top artists such as Toni Braxton, NAS, Inner Circle and Tarrus Riley in what should be an electirc night.

Will you be traveling to Montego Bay for Reggae Sumfest 2009? We leave Negril each day at least 3 hours before show time so that we can be there early and up by frontstage. Anyone need a ride from Negril? Contact me for details.