First-class performance from Third World at Sony Hall

NY:

It was an unusually mild November night in New York City. But, the celebratory energy inside the Sony Hall near Times Square felt like New Year’s Eve as reggae’s beloved ambassadors, Third World, unleased an unforgettable performance on Saturday that drove the multi-ethnic audience into a rare collective frenzy.

The gala was hosted by the Issa Ttust Foundation, operator of the Couples Resorts in Jamaica, to raise funds to build a health centre for children in Richmond, St. Ann.

A bevy of beautiful ladies dressed in upbeat tropical colours and men in comfortable tailored suits poured into the venue. The ethnic mix was diverse, but the common denominator was a deep love for Jamaica and a willingness to help to improve the lives of children in Jamaica.

After a warm welcome delivered by SiriusXM radio personality, Pat McKay, the spotlight moved to Leon and the Peoples, a New York City-based band led by Cool Runnings star of bobsled fame, Leon Robinson. Leon certainly has a fan base in New York, so it didn’t take long for him to whip up a singalong with the audience in his frisky 10-song set that ended with Love is a Beautiful Thing.

“Leon a shell dung the place,” a visiting radio host from Ocho Rios, Jamaica told her live audience, speaking into her oversized microphone.

The “niceness” intensified when Third World hit the stage. Their opening salvo was the New York City recurrent urban classic Now That We’ve Found Love, and the crowd response was immediate. The attendees stood up, threw hands up in the air while dancing on the floor and screaming for more. Juliet Holness, wife of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who flew in from Jamaica for the gala rocked with the audience in her glittering, tight-fitting tangerine and gold ensemble.

A steady succession of Third World hits accelerated the Sony Hall frenzy, broken only by jaw-dropping improvisations, first with the genius of Monte Alexander on keyboard, followed by Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore on cello. The music they created was fireworks.

Lead vocalist, A J Brown, stunned the audience with an impeccable rendition, in Italian, of Andrea Bocelli’s classic, Con te Partiro. Thunderous applause followed, partly due to the surprise of A J Brown performing a popular song in a foreign language that resonated with the audience.

During the musical treat, Cat Coore paid tribute to recently departed keyboardist, Tyrone Downie, who had played on the Bob Marley iconic recording, One Love. So, it was fitting that the show was brought to a rollicking close with a spirited performance of One Love, with Leon and the Peoples joining the finale.