Reggae Sumfest 2009!

Sun sets and hundreds of people from all corners of the island and beyond fly, bike, hike, walk and ride to Montego Bay. All toting portable fold-up chairs, blankets, and pillows for their overnight camp out. The bustling streets of Mo Bay surrounding the park are filled with sidewalk vendors hustling everything from portable stools, to flags, to parking spaces. However, the crowds march on into the coming night as excitement rises in the air. Some have the look going, the shoes, the dress, the jeans the hair, sporting the bad man or bad gal flava, but what’s most important is the ticket they hold in their hand, the ticket to the greatest reggae show on earth.

This year was one of firsts for me; definitely my first taste of Reggae Sumfest as well as my first trip to Jamaica (see Welcome to Jamrock a little later). I can say with all certainty that Reggae Sumfest is a music event like no other. This week long music festival held at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay, Jamaica, features the best of the best in reggae, dancehall and international music genres, as well as some pretty good newbie headliners. You can find the best in jerk chicken and rice and peas, the ever classic bottle of Red Stripe or Appleton rum, and rhythmic sounds that start at sundown, lasting well into the next morning.

Reggae Media International arrived in Jamaica on Thursday, just in time for Dancehall night. Featured on stages were some of my favorite acts such as Voicemail (Eh), Vbyz Kartel, D’Angel, Lady Saw, and of course hitting the stage into the wee hours the next morning was Beenie Man, who is now no longer the “self-proclaimed” King of Dancehall, but just is. This year’s show was dedicated to the memory and honor of the music, the magic, and the man that is Michael Jackson, so each artiste had their own special treat of a tribute. One of the most notable performances of the evening was that of Lady Saw.