Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

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.