Rise reggae gave thousands of people so much to rave about after a night of riveting reggae music and riddims at Kensington Oval on Saturday.
The jampacked crowd listened to the reggae hits with rapture as artistes such as Barrington Levy, Tarrus Riley, Biggie Irie, Gramps Morgan with Dean Fraser, and the Black Soil band graced the stage.
Positive vibrations permeated the air as the entertainers showed off their vocals to deliver a blend of vintage and modern reggae music for the audience to sing and dance along to.
“The Gramps Morgan Experience” is what the renowned Jamaican singer called his catalogue of songs he performed. The crowd rocked from side to side as Gramps Morgan presented his tunes including a peaceful performance of People Like You, Wash The Tears, and the “ladies anthem” entitled Woman Like You.
Barbados’ own Biggie Irie blessed the audiences’ ears with selections such as Ten Tons of Love and a variety of his hits in a spouge-reggae medley with tunes like No Good by Jackie Opel.
Barrington Levy received rapturous applause as he entered the stage to perform classics like Too Experienced, Vice Versa Love, Living Dangerously,and Be Strong. The crowd danced along to his vibrant songs such as Prison Oval Rock, Under Me Sensi, Down By The River, and Tell Dem Already.
He took a moment to present a heartfelt message with his son, about the world needing more love, which transitioned into the song Spreading The Love Virus. Levy concluded his set with one of his new tunes entitled Money Is The Drug.
The deejays, including Indian and Chris Gayle, Jerry Dan, FullKlipp, Mikey Dread and Shaddy, and Daddy Fabian and Menace, kept the irie vibes going, blazing a combination of old and new reggae tunes.
Amid all the reggae energy, the show took a reminiscent moment to pay tribute to the late deejay and radio personality Warren Jon Doe Forte. His wife, Tracy Morgan-Forte, Tamara Husbands, known as DJ Tammy, Peter Coppin, DJ Renegade Sounds and Caroline Cici Reid gathered to speak about his love for music and his fans.
The party was not over yet, and Jamaican entertainer Tarrus Riley transformed the space into an infectious energetic atmosphere with his tunes. Riley, who was the final act for the night, had the audience in a frenzy as he performed some of his songs such as Love’s Contagious, Getty Getty No Wantee, Respect and Blessings.
He had the crowd captivated with a song clash between him and his band members. The group humorously went back and forth singing reggae hits against Riley, who kept the hits coming back-to-back. He completed the set with a colourful costume change, dynamic energy, and enthralling stage presence to end the night.