Unfinished business - Busy Signal returns to Groovin' In The Park
Published:Sunday | April 1, 2018 | 12:00 AMDave Rodney/Gleaner Writer
At last year's epic Groovin' In The Park extravaganza in New York, a perfect concert day in Roy Wilkins Park was blemished when a number of disgruntled reggae fans left the park before the show ended when the Busy Signal set came to a premature end.
Last year's concert was Busy Signal's first major New York City performance, and music lovers from across the tri-state region poured into the park in record numbers to get a rare glimpse of Busy's blistering showmanship. The reggae icon had come to Groovin' with a fully loaded performance arsenal that wasn't fully discharged. So, this year, Groovin' CEO Christopher Roberts, has decided to bring Busy back to unleash the full force of his electrifying magic for all to see in 2018 on an extended and uncut set that is being called 'Unfinished Business'.
When Busy Signal appeared on stage last year, fans were immediately mesmerised by his presence, his energy, his style, and his astonishing barrage of biting, nerve-plucking lyrics. He had fans dancing, prancing, and waving flags during his brief but full-throttle performance. Devotees were whipped in a trance by classic hits like Jamaica Love, Missing You, Dreams Of Brighter Days and These Are The Days. A chorus of requests for the speedy return of Busy Signal has been strident, and, accordingly, the Groovin' executives have added him to the 2018 Groovin' galaxy of stars.
"Last year, I travelled with four college friends from Maryland to see Busy, our idol, and you better believe we are coming back to New York this year to marvel at Busy in full effect", Gisela Robinson told The Gleaner.
"I just know that with Busy there, Groovin' is gonna be lit this year like never before", she added.
Early ticket sales
Hundreds of fans echoed similar jubilation after whispers of Busy's return begun to circulate, and there was reportedly an immediate flood of calls, as well as a spike in early ticket sales.
Groovin' in the Park executives say that they had been in dialogue with Busy Signal's management team since last June for an encore performance. After months of back-and-forth dialogue, both camps just signed off on a deal, clearing the way for the DJ to return to New York to bring complete satisfaction to what he started last year. Roberts indicated, too, that this year, his team plans to publish an approximate time schedule for each artiste so that fans will know exactly when each artiste will take the stage.
Joining Busy Signal at Groovin' in the Park will be multi-Grammy winner Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds, cultural spitfire DJ Capleton, and reggae chart-topper Romain Virgo.
Additional artistes will be announced at a later date.