Intimate | Beres and Buju deliver
Published:Monday | January 2, 2023 | 4:28 AM
At 1:27 a.m., the screams reached fever pitch as the capacity crowd inside Grizzly's Plantation Cove welcomed The Boss, Beres Hammond.
"Thought I could live without you...." Beres crooned, and the crowd screamed out their lungs. And when one thought the noise decibel was at its maximum, at 1:31 a.m., the patrons took it to another level entirely. The Gargamel, dressed in full red, entered centre stage and Grizzly's just neva good nuh more.
Together they welcomed their fans and pulled up the vibes some more for a brief moment, after which Banton left Hammond to get intimate with his fans, which he did, pulling hits from his catalogue, including Step Aside Now, What One Dance Can Do and Putting up Resistance.
Dancehall artiste Popcaan also hit the stage with Hammond to perform their collaboration God is Love.
BUJU CLOSES THE SHOW
Later, amid a light drizzle, an energised Banton retook to the stage at Grizzly's to pull the curtains down on Intimate in his own inimitable style. He selected well from his catalogue of dancehall and reggae songs traversing with dexterity through the decades, performing songs such as Destiny, Jah Jah Put an Angel Over Me and Love Black Woman. The Gargamel's fans hung on to his every word, keeping the beat as they transformed into his mass choir and kept track of his every move with their cellphones. A special reception awaited big tunes such as Untold Stories. Vuvuzelas rang out loud and long in appreciation, and when it ended, they still wanted more.
Touted as a historic coming together of Jamaican music legends, Intimate Jamaica featured performances from acts including Marcia Griffiths, who received the inaugural Red Stripe Living Legend Award on stage; LUST; D'Yani and Tarrus Riley.