Barbados Reggae Festival 2019 simply has to have been one of the most successful showings for the festival on record. This year’s festival saw acts such as the electric Buju Banton and Spragga Benz opening the weekend with Buju’s Barbadian leg of his ‘Long Walk to Freedom Tour’, followed immediately by Busy Signal and Sizzla rocking patrons on the beach the very next day at Pirate’s

 

 

However, Tuesday night on the grounds of Kensington Oval, belonged exclusively to lovers of the golden age of Reggae music and conscious vibes. Pulsating love music and grooving tracks dominated the airwaves during the night, much to the delight of the massive crowd on hand.

DJs Scorpion, Alvin Toppin and Black Cat Sounds set the mood right from the very beginning for the audience, warming up their ears and dance moves to some of the greatest hits of yesteryear.

Vincentian born Reggae and R&B singer Judy Boucher used her smooth lyrics and calming voice to serenade the crowd with her best hits that have become a staple on the karaoke scene here on the island. ‘You Caught my Eye’ and ‘Dreaming of a Little Island’ were definitely crowd favourites, with patrons loudly singing along swaying to the intimate tracks. Her time on stage was too short for many persons, who however could not let her go without vocally demanding she sing her biggest hit and true Oldie Goldie classic ‘Can’t be with You Tonight’.

 

 

Even though he was not the closing act for the night, Mikey Spice delivered arguably the most potent and heavy hitting performance of the show. Spice was simply electric; his sensual and commanding performance of ‘Practice What You Preach’ had many of the female patrons visibly interacting with the seasoned veteran. If Spice’s aim was to sweet talk the crowd into a spell, he succeeded easily. His closing piece of ‘I am I Said’ with his baritone vocals was emotional, deep and most of all visceral.

Though he had a lengthy time on stage, it was still way too short. Perhaps we can see the artist return for a solo concert in the future?

Admiral Tiber delivered his famous conscious vibes and energy to the crowd, and even though his voice was not 100 percent, his impression on the crowd was still felt. His old dub tracks of ‘Serious Time’ and ‘Leave People Business’ were true call backs to the big Dancehall music from the early 80’s and 90’s.

 

 

George Nooks delivered a gospel intervention with ‘God is Standing By’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ with the latter receiving loud applause of enjoyment.

Lil Rick, of course, had his usual set at Vintage Reggae, with his time on stage being significantly more than last year’s showing, which was a great thing. Back in time tracks and Old Dub hits are his favourite sets to play for fans, and it showed last night.

Barrington Levy certainly had an interesting time on stage during the night. His set was great for the most part, with him delivering many of the big tracks us locals are familiar with, however, it felt a bit tame compared to the previous performers. ‘Here I Come’ and ‘Too Experienced’ were big songs for the crowd who loudly sang along with the artist, however those pieces did not reach the massive peaks of energy which they certainly deserved.

This year’s Vintage Reggae Show and Dance was a fitting conclusion to the weekend’s festivities. Over the years, the throwback concert has been a reoccurring success with its more mature audience. After seeing the increase in audience size for this particular event since its inception, one could imagine sometime in the future, we see an event that showcases other vintage favorites from other genres.

 

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