Brothers, Damian, Julian and KyMani Marley in performance at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) 'Get Up Stand Up' concert, in honour of Bob Marley 's birthday, held at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road, on Tuesday. - Winston Sill

On Tuesday night, when the Marley brothers - Stephen, Damian, Ky-Mani and Julian - came on-stage at 'Get Up Stand Up', the tribute concert to their father held at the Ranny Williams Centre, the delivery took a marked turn.

For me, it was a turn for the better, as the songs, beginning with Soul Rebel, were delivered in full. When the large audience recognised the keyboard introduction to It Was Written, they howled and when Capleton came out to rip into his verse the venue 'tun ova', as dancehall lovers would say.

And then came Fantan Mojah, demanding 'watch it mek we bun dem'. Although the audience enjoyed it, I did not. It was an interruption which continued with 'piece a piece a' song from Ras Myrdakh and Turbulence.

Inflated notion

There is a difference between a piece of a song and an entire one. While audiences have got used to the pieces, performers 'wheeling' as soon as they get a response, I still prefer the latter. I do not get to see it very often on large stage shows where the audience is more 'rootsy', so to speak, and I was enjoying the Marleys' delivery until it was interrupted.

And it did not look like a planned 'call-on' either.

I contend that it is performers with either an inflated notion of themselves or low self-confidence (and the two are often sides of the same coin) who 'bum rush the stage.

When Capleton hit 'fear is in the eye of the beholder' at 'Get Up Stand Up' the audience really got up and my theory is that those who came after were looking to ride that wave of excitement. That is one tried and proven way for a performer to get into the limelight in a business where publicity is everything and the last forward is the impetus for the next booking, but it was such a disservice to what was working up to being a special showing by the Marley brothers on Tuesday night.

How many persons who came to that free concert will be able to pay to see them in another setting? Those are the persons who those who interrupted short-changed at 'Get Up Stand Up'.

And the sad thing is that those who got a piece of song when they were about to get a real bellyful do not even know how much they have been denied.