BY MEL COOKE, Freelance Writer
Left: Cherine Anderson kept the Peace Day message in the early part of the concert held downtown Kingston.
Right: Mr. Peppa in a telling T-shirt in keeping with the Peace Day theme on Tuesday night, March 7. - IAN ALLEN PHOTOS
FROM RICKY SHEPHERD'S crooning about hills that are hard to climb at a few minutes after 6:00 p.m. through the blowing of Comb King, whose Endless Love earned the first big 'forward', Cherine Anderson, Mr. Peppa, Turbulence, Wayne Marshall and a fiery Bounty Killer, among others, Tuesday night's concert kept its Peace Day focus.
However, with the departure of Bounty Killer and a lull in the response of the audience for performers such as Voice Mail, QQ, Abijah and Chris Martin, whose rendition of Change Must Come roused the many persons gathered in the car park across from the Craft Market in downtown Kingston somewhat, the concert lost focus and ended in a microphone gang up.
The most obvious sign of discontent was from Norris Man, who came on stage after Martin called on Ras Ghandi, who crooned 'we no want no more bloodshe', to the delight of the audience. 'A pure disrespect ting a gwaan backstage,' he said. 'Me naa come a town an no sing no song.' He was not provided with a rhythm, but sang a bit of Persistence without music.
PEACE MESSAGE
Nuffy then called back Ghandi as 'Milk', the third female MC of the night after Denise Miller and Paula-Ann Porter-Jones and the host of that segment of the show, stood by.
Ghandi distributed some callaloo before doing Ital Stew, which drew shouts of delight, and Milk returned to introduce Teflon. After Mister Myers, who chastised 'Mister Big Man' without attracting much attention, there were roars for Kip Rich, who came on with Liquere. He in turn called on Black-her, for whom the women leapt and sang Attitude and especially Bun Him, for which he did not have to sing much for himself. Aidonia was called on and the party over peace message continued with Lolly, then Predator entered with a bit of Head A Res.
There was a brief return to the 'watch yu flex, don' badda vex' theme with guitarist Seretse Small, who entered the gaggle of deejays and said 'I think the problem with violence is that we don't have freedom', before singing Freedom. However, Kip Rich demanded that he stay and play for his song ('you falla me!') and proceeded to deejay about telephone calls and informers, chanting 'dem inform pon Jim Brown wid a lan' line'.
Kip Rich ended the Peace Day concert with Telephone Ting, the reply to Lady G, which ignited the audience, and his retreat to letter writing, the audience dispersing just before 1:30 a.m.
With a mixture of dub poetry from Crazy Rock and 12 year-old Rajah Murdot, the saxophone of Dean Fraser with True Reflections and gospel from Judy Mowatt, there was variation on the night's dominant reggae theme, the Area Youth Foundation providing a group song for the evening.
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