By Adrian Frater, Staff Reporter
Bunny Wailer performing at Reggae Winterfest 2002. - Adrian Frater
WESTERN BUREAU:
REGGAE'S 'LIVING legend', the classy and durable Bunny Wailer, gave reggae fans a taste of musical genius on Saturday night. He delivered a memorable two-hour musical masterpiece at Reggae Winterfest 2002, staged at the MX111 Lawn, in Negril.
In a performance in which he blended deft dance moves, an avalanche of reggae classics and biting social commentary, the elder statesman of reggae proved that after over 30 years in the business, he is still a bonafide crowd-pleaser.
Taking centrestage at 3:12 a.m., moments after deejay Tony Rebel had completed his well-received set, the diminutive original 'Wailer', nattily attired in a sparkling silver and white outfit with trimmings of red, green and gold, open with Praise Him and then proceeded to stamp his authority.
With the crystal clear Solomonic Orchestra offering superb support, the dancing Bunny Wailer 'skanked' through Don Dada, Cool Runnings, Ballroom Floor and Rude Bwoy Skanking, with nonchalant ease. With the crowd in a frenzy, he went into overdrive as, in between tributes to deceased Wailers Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, with Legalise It and Crazy Baldhead, he all but emptied his personal collection.
After chit-chatting with the fans for awhile, explaining the history of 'Rasta' and the 'dancehall', the still fresh-looking Bunny Wailer declared: "Is soon time to leave, because it is almost daylight." He then delved into Collie Man and increased the tempo with a new song entitled Rock Stone. At precisely 5:12 a.m., two hours into his musical marathon, the ageing Wailer, still dancing, closed his set with Keep On Moving.
Had Bunny Wailer not been at his superb best, the night's honours would definitely have gone to deejay Tony Rebel, who delivered an excellent set. In fact, in terms of stirring up the crowd, the deejay, with his blend of old and new lyrics, probably ruled supreme.
Bouncing into action with I'm Not Ashamed, the lanky Tony Rebel was soon well into overdrive, as he had the fans singing along on selections such as Hypocrite, Ras Inna De Kitchen, High Grade and Know Jah. It was interesting to note that the visitors at stage front seem to know every single line in each song.
With the fans at his mercy, Tony Rebel invited Swade to join him on-stage and together they set off a new bout of dancing and singing as they unleashed Just Friends. The tempo got even higher when Queen Ifrika, who had earlier dazzled in her solo set, joined them for Is Just Me Brethren.
When Tony Rebel exited the stage, it was clear he had made a big impact, as scores of fans raced backstage to congratulate him. Even the emcee appeared satisfied, as he ignored the calls of "more, more", which erupted from a small pocket of fans.
In her set, Queen Ifrika showed unbelievable composure and maturity and clearly left no doubt that she is ready for the big time. Displaying raw musical power, she signalled her presence with the Rasta anthem Babylon Throne. With the crowd warming to her, she proceeded to make her mark with a delightful ska rendition of her father's (Derrick Morgan) Leave My (Girl) Man Alone.
Smiling as she strolled around the stage, she had the ladies screaming with a song called Love You Can't Do and then got everybody serious with a thought-provoking song entitled The Streets Are Bloody. Called back for an encore, she added the finishing touches to the song.
In the earlier segment of the show, the fans were also treated to a series of decent performances. Among the acts that stood out were Swade, Anthony Selassie, Yogi, Len Hammond, Principal and young Ceyon Harvey, who worked in combination with the female Japanese deejay Ranking Pumpkin.
See related story and picture spread in today's Star
