Unlimited Dancers impressed with their Michael Jackson dance moves. - file
When Errol Lee, leader of the Bare Essentials band, asked Renegade Disco to stop the video for Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone last Friday night, there were protests at Curphey Place, Swallowfield, St Andrew.
Lee comforted those who wanted more of the big-screen action from a now-dead performer before a tribute to him from those live onstage, saying, "Andrew, tell them we can do this anytime. We have the power to cease, fast-forward, rewind anytime we want".
When Lee asked the people who had turned out with their Michael Jackson gloves to hold up their hands, a few went up (along with cheers) at one table.
In the first of three very impressive appearances by the Dancin' Dynamites winners, one member of Unlimited Dancers paid homage to Michael Jackson by doing his signature moves to Thriller.
Clapping along
"Him do it betta dan Michael!" one man shouted in a brief pause as the music changed to Wanna Be Starting Something. People in the average-sized audience started clapping along to the beat and the moves long before the dance was over and, as the Unlimited Dancer moonwalked his way off the stage, there were more cheers.
With the Bare Essentials delivering reggae first, the MJ tribute was saved for the later segment of the live music. However, although the song selection was good, the band starting out with the recent Feel Good by Beres Hammond and working its way back a few years to Morgan Heritage's Down By The River, the music was more loud than it was balanced.
In addition, although at concerts and parties songs tend to be delivered faster than they are on the original recordings, last Friday night the Bare Essentials went a tad too fast.
So although the band, rotating a trio of lead singers, hit its best note with the audience on Junior Kelly's Love So Nice, by and large, the performance did go above being just OK.
A distinct improvement
Nor did Ben Franton's homage to the Cool Ruler, Gregory Isaacs, going through Top Ten, Night Nurse and Love Overdue. However, when he switched to Otis Redding with Pain in My Heart and These Arms of Mine, there was a distinct improvement and the audience showed its appreciation.
The Bare Essentials' Canary lead singers' delivery of The Girl is Mine and Human Nature was a distinct improvement over the previous roots reggae, the latter especially going over well.
The band's saxophonist's version of Heal The World, done as is on record without much by way of interpretation, really hit the sweet spot, Errol Lee commenting "that was wicked" at the end, to which the audience agreed.
Maria Myrie and Canary combined for a very good rendition of I'll Be There, Myrie following up with Gone Too Soon on her own. She then switched to reggae, closing with Perfidia.
Near incredible
The Unlimited Dancers were near incredible in their final stint, combining acrobatics with dancing and the audience gasping (along with a few screams) as one member skated on his head along the hardwood floor at Curphey Place.
Harold Davis wrapped up the tribute, his interpretation of The Way You Make Me Feel leaning a bit towards jazz instead of the thumping pop of the original recording. It was musically interesting but seemed not the best approach in the closing stages of what turned out to be a brief concert.
And Davis reminded all that July 1, International Reggae Day, is also the day Dennis Brown died 10 years ago and went into MC mode as Dennis Brown was regularly introduced ("Dennis! In the morning!") to close Reggae Sunsplash, before honouring him with a good rendition of How Could I Live.
It was back to the big screen with the We Are The World video, members of the now-reduced audience paying rapt attention to the parade of American music stars, especially Michael Jackson.