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BUJU BANTON
November 27, 1997
Beacon Theater
New York City
When
Buju Banton bounded on stage at the Beacon Thanksgiving night, he brought
one of the largest groups of back-up singers ever assembled--theadoring
audience. All evening long, he performed full-out, and in asense, that somewhat
undermined the overall effect of his heartfelt performance.He began dramatically, singing a portion of "Destiny" (from his new album INNA HEIGHTS) off stage. His voice enveloped the crowd; when he roared on stage (dressed simply in a flowing white shirt, black velvetpants, boots, with an Ethiopian cross in hand), pandemonium ensued. The crowd rose en masse, poured down the aisles, cheered, and sang their hearts out on every favorite.
Buju
has mad, mad charisma. Tall, wickedly handsome, skanking withreckless abandon,
and singing in that emphatic, raspy-gravelly voice,he's truly electrifying.
The crowd roared when he began "Murderer," and "Til Shiloh"
rocked the theater. From the new album, he sang the tuneful"Mother's
Cry" with its African dance-flavored choruses and reggae beat.The beat, though, was one of the evening's problems. Unfortunately, Buju's backing musicians, dubbed the Shiloh Band, couldn't match him. He needed a more veteran group, or one capable of matching andcomplementing his vocal force with equally hard-driving rhythmic strength. Buju speaks proudly of his Maroon heritage; it would be incredible to hear him accompanied by hypnotic burru drumming.
If there is a reservation here, it's about Buju's extraordinary energy and how he uses it. True indeed that his energy and raw emotion on stage are what make him such a riveting performer. But for the most part, those great gifts were unchanneled during the evening. Toward the end, he suddenly stopped moving, spoke quietly to the audience about life's hardships, then went over and sat on a large speaker stage right. There he sang a hushed "Untold Stories." It was one of the most compelling and moving moments of the night, because it offered a strikingly dramatic contrast. When he finished, bounced up and rewound, the crowd erupted. He performs at a fever pitch, yet is capable of incredibly moving balladry. His performance might have been even more memorable had he varied the pace more. Veteran performers (even those in their early30s), shape their performances, contrasting slow against fast songs, energy against contemplativeness.
"Love
Sponge" was last, the perfect finale, but it should have been the encore.
When Buju finished it, he departed, leaving popular DJ Roy to thank the
audience, who were surprised and unprepared for such an abruptending. Clearly,
there's a curfew or cut-off time at the Beacon.Also on the bill was Jah Mali, the up-and-coming conscious singer. He has an appealing stage presence and a joyous voice, although his material is not quite varied enough yet--though "Lightning, Brimstone and Fire" and "El Shaddai" were stand-outs. He was backed by a female trio, D'Wisdom, Juliet, and Nicki Tucker (Junior Tucker's sis) who had done a rocking set earlier. The three energetic Gregory Park dancers delighted the audience as the opening act.
Last, but not least, Sharon Gordon and crew did their usual marvelous job organizing the show.
By Judy Hecker
Photos courtesy of Ajamu
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::
Sanchez :: Sugar Minott Dec 3, 2002 New York City ::
Jr Kelly ::
Frankie Paul ::
Sugar
Minott ::
The Meditations
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