Mackie Conscious performs for the 'early birds' at Reggae Sumfest on Saturday night. - photo by Adrian Frater

Western Bureau:

While he was not given one of the coveted primetime slots like his Montego Bay colleagues Jah Cure and Queen Ifrica, singer Mackie Conscious made his presence felt with a dazzling performance on Saturday's International Night Two at Reggae Sumfest.

Hitting centre stage at about 9 p.m. with just several hundred fans strewn around the spacious Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, the lyrical Mackie Conscious performed as though there was a full house before him, introducing each song with the appropriate social commentary before belting out the supporting lyrics.

Striding confidently to centre stage primarily clad in black, Mackie Conscious immediately had the small gathering on its feet and dancing as he opened his set with the thought-provoking lyrics of What If. Without breaking stride, he smoothly changed gear with Going Down, which drew wild screams from the enthused gathering.

Like so many other acts before, Mackie Conscious paid homage to the legendary Michael Jackson, in whose memory Reggae Sumfest was staged this year.

In describing Michael Jackson as the greatest performer of all time, Mackie Conscious told the audience that fame was not everything, and that like Jackson generously demonstrated, "a man should not be judged by his wealth but by his contribution to humanity".

Mackie Conscious then timely delivered Can't Be a King and Nuh Royal, which had one fan shouting out, "Mackie why dem put you on so early".

As if providing a direct answer, Mackie Conscious delved into Lucky Mi Nuh Lucky. The song also spoke out about those who had become stars on slack and inappropriate lyrics.

Stinging lyrics

With some security personnel breaking away from their posts to observe Mackie Conscious confidently rocking around the stage, Mackie introduced deejay Mickylous onstage for their combination, Put A Little Love. While a non-functional microphone initially created a problem, they soon were in full-flight, exciting the audience with their stinging lyrics.

After exiting the stage to calls for "more", Mackie Conscious expressed mixed emotions: "I came here to entertain the fans and I am happy I was able to please them; it is a pity I performed at a time when the crowd was still coming in."

In explaining the intensity behind his performance, the singer, who recently performed at the Summit of the Americas, which was attended by US President Barack Obama, said whether it was 10 persons or 10,000 before him, he felt he had an obligation to give his best.

"The good thing for me was that the fans who came out early got the kind of performance they wanted from me," said Mackie Conscious.