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GREGORY ISAACS
September 21, 1996
Irving Plaza
New York City
On
September 21, Gregory Isaacs made his triumphant return to a New York stage.
Irving Plaza, one of the largest venues in the tri-state area that regularly
books reggae acts, was host to the concert--an event packed wall-to-wall
and shoulder-to-shoulder with adoring fans who sang along to every song.
This was Isaacs' first appearance in the US in five years. Although time
has worn on The Cool Ruler's voice, nothing could dim his energy, showmanship
or stage presence. Gregory had returned and for a night it felt like 1983
again.Isaacs opened with "Number One" and continued through hit after hit, including "Sunday Morning," "Ooh! What A Feeling," "Love Is Overdue," "Night Nurse," and "Rumors," among many others. The crowd knew every word to every song, and often Isaacs would stop singing a line just to hear the audience sing instead. In his usual manner, he had the ladies in the house swooning, often making eye contact with those packed up front, and at one point he happily accepted a batch of roses flung on stage. Performing amid dazzling lasers, Isaacs was never dwarfed by the light show that seemed more in tune with the Alternative and Rock acts that regularly perform at Irving Plaza. After performing one encore, MC Simon Templar whipped up the crowd into a chant of "MORE GREGORY," prompting a return of the star. After another encore, finishing up with "The Border," Mr. Isaacs finally ascended up the stairs at stage left into the back dressing room, leaving the crowd singing along with The Kalabash Band as they wound down the rhythm.
The sell-out was a bit of a surprise because thes how was only announced a few days before hand; it goes to show that big reggae shows sell tickets in the New York area. (This summer, at the popular Summer Stage series of free shows in Central Park,the reggae shows were the most consistently packed.) Because it was scheduled for a Saturday, the audience was a well-balanced mix of reggae fans, from older dreadlocked couples to young college kids, all of whom contributed to a spectacular, peaceful event.
Because
of Isaacs' well-known battles with drugs, we were unsure of how he would
perform. If you are planning on checking out Gregory anytime soon, be forewarned:
his voice has weakened. Normally, as singers gets older, their vocal chords
get tougher, and their voice deepens. Surprisingly, Isaacs had more trouble
with notes in the lower register than he did hitting the highs. Within a
few songs, he was loosened up, and sounded strong; by the end of the night,
he was as hoarse as the screaming audience. He can still deliver his trademarked
purr, the growling whisper that makes him so unique. However, when you're
standing inthe crowd, and he's there in front of you onstage, any problems
with his voice are forgotten.This is because the true genius of Gregory
Isaacs lies not in his singing, but in his songwriting. Besides Marley,
few people have written as enormous or as high quality a catalog of songs
as Isaacs has. Each song is memorable, catchy and intelligently written.
This is what makes Gregory Isaacs the legend that he is; this is why we
will troop out to see him when he's seventy and performing from a wheelchair.The opening band was Soweto Soleil, a competent, if undistinguished, reggae band in the Wailers model. They might have stuck in people's heads more on any other night--but September 21 belonged to Gregory Isaacs and no one else. For the entire night, the focus was on The Cool Ruler.
By Lem and Michael G.
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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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