Rocksteady Met Reggae in Fort Lauderdale

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston

The Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was a potpourri of Jamaican culture. The park was brought alive by music, food and colours, all complementing each other to create the right atmosphere for the third staging of Rocksteady Meets Reggae.

Kudos must go to Freddie McGregor and his team who ran a tight ship and produced a first class production. The line-up flowed like a well-oiled machine and even when acts overstayed their allotted time, there was someone from the team to give the "cut" sign.

Although rocksteady put up a good showing, it was evident that reggae not only met them but totally dominated.

Following some early performances from Toro & Stevie Dread, Mical Rustle and Screwdriver, it was time for the rocksteady artistes to strut their stuff.

Representing the rocksteady camp was Tinga Stewart. He brought a festive feeling to the evening as he did some of his past festival winning songs. Dawn Penn came and went, making way for the Melodians and oh what a sweet sensation that was!

Errol Dunkley had the massive 'dropping foot' with favourites such as "Movie Star," "Your Love Is Amazing," and the ever popular "Black Cinderella."

Alton Ellis followed by John Holt closed off the rocksteady segment in fine style.

Iley Dread kicked off the reggae segment and he gave a good account of himself. He was followed by Glen Washington who could do no wrong for his hometown audience. His South Florida massive showed him lots of love.

Then it was time for another "adopted" South Florida resident, Freddie McGregor. The singer who has been in the business for 40 years showed why he lasted so long as he easily wowed the crowd with hits such as "Push Come To Shove," "Stop Loving You," "Prophecy" and "Let Him Try." The singer also took time out to thank the fans and sponsors for supporting the event.

Frankie Paul created "Worries In The Dance" with his many hits. The crowd loved him and it was clear that he just loved performing for them, so much so that he almost had to be taken forcibly from the stage. He didn¹t take his cue to cut his performance.

George Nooks, from the word go, had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. With hits such as "My Children," "Forty Leg," "God Is Standing By" and "No Power on Earth," he served a delectable feast for the reggae loving fans.

Admiral Tibet was truly awesome. He sizzled on stage and had the crowd dancing away. What can anyone say about Josie Wales except that he is in a class by himself. The colonel commanded attention and he got it. The sweet sweet Coco Tea had the South Florida massive partaking of his tasty brew. His performance seemed effortless but packed a lot of power. The singer adapted his lyrics to include the audience and they just loved it! They drank up everything he had to offer.

Sanchez was the last singer standing for the reggae category and it could not have closed on a sweeter note.

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Cecelia Campbell has been in journalism for the past eleven years. She's currently assistant editor at Jamaica's leading weekly tabloid, Xnews. She also writes for other publications, including the Gleaner's North American Weekend Star.