REGGAE
ON THE ROCKS XVWhat was your Take? Email reviews@reggaemovement.com
with your thoughts.
Reggae
on the Rocks, held on Saturday August 25th, consisted of 6 acts, in the
following order: Judge Roughneck, Worl-a-Girl, Wailing
Souls, Mutabaruka, Dave Wakeling, Yellowman,
and Burning Spear
Reviews:
S
Brooks:
I
completely disagree that this was a good show. Is Burning Spear a constant
at Red Rocks. I really think they need to get better musicians for the Red
Rocks shows. I was not impressed. There is so much music and we have
to hear Burning Spear year after year. Let's pick it up and get more dated
musicians. I will not attend another Burning Spear unless he is with some
good reggae artist. I was bored to death at this concert. Been there
done that. I think the better show was the DJ at the top.
Michael
"Prof" Robinson,
Of all
the places that take their names from their character, this is it! Red Rocks is
just what it sounds like…you seem to be in a bowl, whose walls are these
majestic red rocks. I've never seen anything like it. Some of the
mountains seem consciously conceived, while others are seemingly arbitrary in
their design. Some are polished looking and still others retain a
rough-hewn character. Just looking at them makes you want to find yourself
at the top of one overlooking this wonderful country. Jah Creation…
This is the perfect setting for a night of serious reggae music.
Yellowman's show was where I arrived at the venue. You had to marvel at
his energy and steadiness in the midst of it all. Just one rocking tune
after another…the undisputed king of reggae DJ's, in my mind. Dancehall
artists, take some notes! Yellow is the man!
By the time our time had arrived, everyone was in a state of total
anticipation…the Burning One would soon be here.
We start with Jah No Dead and from his first word, Mr. Rodney had the many
hundreds in the palm of his hand! I think they were pretty pleased with way they
were handled. By the time we launched into 'Man in the Hills', it was
plain that magic would be made tonight.
Here we all were, celebrating to the rhythm of Jah Word…amidst all the
splendor of Jah Creation… audience, man woman an child… the band bringing
musical fire, in support of the Burning Spear.
What a day!! Reggae on the Rocks…with a twist of magic, the music of King
Yellowman and of course, the highlight of the evening…Burning Spear. Who
could want more?
Jah Guide…Keep the Spear Burning.
Larry
Leiber, Denver, Co.
Overall,
this was a decent show
This was the first
time that I saw Yellowman, and I must say I was very impressed with his
Showmanship. His energy was insatiable, from start to finish. I
still talk about it today, and it's a few days past. Any time I feel
fatigued, I'm going to think of him and get my second wind for sure.
Mutabaruka put on a good show, with a tight band
behind him keeping some really good riddims. I missed a lot of
his show, but his confrontational, yet poignant message blew by me.
Wailing Souls put on a good
show once again, and I was curious as to why they weren't later in the show so
that more could appreciate them.
Burning Spear, the headliner and closing the
show, did one of the better performances that I've seen, by him or anyone
else. He kept the vibe and energy well into the night as the day long festival went
on. His live performance of Naya Keith will always make me smile
inside. The whole band was smiling as they played, and made it look
effortless, as the Tour Manager walked around waving a red, green and gold flag
in the breeze. I could feel the joy they have in playing that song, for I
feel it as well.
I don't know what Dave Wakeling's Band was doing
there, as it didn't really seem to be much about reggae. Worl-a-Girl's
only tolerable song was a Bob Marley Medley. Other than that, I don't see what
the two of those acts contributed to the show besides giving me time to get some
refreshments and check out other things at the show.
Jesse
Rasta Delgado, Denver
In the
beginning there was Reggae and in the end there was Burning
Spear. All
in
all this years Reggae on the Rocks was a fun filled day. Some of the bands
you might not have heard of namely Whirlagirl, Judge
Roughneck, Dave
Wakeling
whatever his name is, and they all
sucked, at least they didn't hold a candle to
the
other bands. The problem was they really had no songs of there own besides
the one song on the Cool Runnings Soundtrack and the
covers they did of Bob
Marley. Utterly
disappointing. I can't believe I can remember their names in
fact
I had to ask a friend so they weren't worth it, but Wailing
Souls,
Yellowman,
Mutabaruka, and Burning Spear were awesome. The biggest surprise was
Mutaburuka.
He came out barefoot in a black Komono with a red velvet scarf
around
his head and took over the show from there. He was outspoken about fast
food,
and Africa but most of his music was thoughtful and poignant. Another surprise
was Yellowman. He was non stop dancing the whole time demonstrating his
love for Reggae music and dedication to satisfying the whole crowd and not leaving till then. Then came
Burning Spear who
didn't disappoint at all. If you
like reggae then Reggae on the Rocks is your venue. Hope to see you there next year.
Jason
Dozza, Denver
I also
was fortunate enough to attend the wonderful day-long reggae festival in
probably the most beautiful outdoor venue in the world, Red Rocks. I have
to agree with many of the earlier comments stating whose performances were
awe-inspiring and whose needed some more work. My comments on the
individual performances:
Judge Roughneck,
apparently a local band working hard to make it in the ska/reggae scene, had a
good groove going most of their set but their horn section runs all over the
stage, jumping up and down and otherwise making themselves the center of the
act. They should take a lesson from Burning Spears horn players and be
heard, not a side show. Plus, as the opening act of a day-long festival,
there should be a limit to how many times you incite the crowd to jump up and
down in place. This wasn't a drunken frat party. 
Whorl-A-Girl -
Simply Frightening. Ordinarily, when three large women in black
spandex pants and bright yellow "New York" baseball shirts enter the
room, I head for the door. They certainly had a lot of energy, but they
looked like they choreographed all of their own dance moves and seemed to run
around the stage speakers during every song.
Dave Wakeling
- They definitely get my vote for cleanest, best-dressed, and nicest hair cuts.
I don't really remember any of their songs. I think that at this point I
was checking out the DJ and Toasting that was going on up the 200 flights of
stairs.
That DJ and rapper upstairs -
I'm a big fan of classic Toasters like U-Roy and Big Youth. To see it up
front and personal is a good thing. The DJ was spinning some hi-qual
grooves and his rapper was talking over all of them. Even when the beats
stopped, he kept talking. He definitely had a lot to say. Every time
that I walked by they had a cro
wd
getting down and the tip jar that had to be emptied several times. Much
respect to that DJ and rapper, whoever you guys were.
Wailing Souls -
This roots band goes back to the beginning and the Studio One days. They
exude class and I thought that their voices were surprisingly strong. They
played a good mix of their new and classic hits. I could have heard
another hour of their music.
Mutabaruka
- Muta, if that's short for Mutabaruka, had a strong backing band behind him,
but his lyrics are very confrontational. This guy makes Peter Tosh and
Malcolm X look like wimps. He was definitely out spoken in his rants on
"the system", white cultures theft of reggae and blues music, and all
black peoples contributions to the world. It got old after awhile. Speaking for
myself, I liked his groove and he is certainly observant and talented. His
rant on the fast food world was poignant, but he could tone down the
Anti-American lingo.
Yellowman
- Massive!! This guy stole the show for me. I mistakenly
assumed that Yellowman's music was all about his sexual prowess. Man was I
mistaken. This guy has talent and energy comparable to no other reggae act
that I have seen. He ran back and forth across the stage his entire set.
"Zungu Zeng" and "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" were some
that I remember, as well as "Mad Over Me." I wasn't a fan of
Yellowman's when I woke up Saturday morning, but I was before
I went to sleep that night.
Burning Spear
- He just seems to get better with age. His band was
amazing as well. His horn section does it right. Sometimes, when
watching Spear, I find it amazing that all of those guys can make it look so
easy. They certainly make it look effortless. If you've seen the
Spear, you know what I am talking about. "Nyah Keith",
"Marcus Garvey," it was all good.
All in all, Reggae on the Rocks is excellent
every year. I would like to see Clinton Fearon get an invite next year
