Beenie Man concert review

By Angharad Williams

Stratford Rex London - March 7 2004

Carnival came to the, 'Stratford Rex' with an all-star line up for Beenie Man’s first live appearance since dancehall became an international phenomenon. There was tight security checks for ravers, before they entered, with metal detectors and searches being done by a team of security guards who were not taking any messing around.

I arrived early, to find a large queue outside. Once in, the 'Rex' filled quickly and the atmosphere switched to full on party mood. Guests including Magnet Man, Loretta Prince, Miss Ting, with her bright red hair and fiery lyrics, Skyjuice - who raised the party mood as he came on topless and wobbled his stomach to the beat, all kept the crowd going for the Grammy award winning singer.

Having reschedule his tour earlier in the year, due to a car crash in Jamaica, which saw his Hummer overturned, the dreadlock star was now in good health and ready to tear up the final date of his 3 day UK tour. When Beenie Man came on stage in the early hours of the morning, the girls in the front row were transfixed. He launched into an energetic set of tracks as Jamaican flags flew high from the audience and horns blazed the whole time.

With his live band backing him, the star who has worked with Mya, Janet Jackson and the Neptunes went through bashment track after bashment track, from his current chart anthems to his earlier classics. Full of energy, he filled the stage and played to every part of the Stratford Rex, by which time was packed to the rafters. Horns were blown and flags were waved as the crowd cheered after each track for more.

The crowd new all the words to his tracks including ‘Who am I’, ‘Slam’ and the track which took him to international stardom with Janet Jackson, ‘feel it boy’. In recent months gay rights groups have questioned his lyrics as tracks incite violence against homosexuals, but there was no evidence of this here.

His carnival smash ‘Row like a boat’ got everyone in the mood for some dancehall moves. Everyone was rowing like a boat, signalling the plane and doing the parachute. One crowd member got on stage and he and Beenie went through all the moves.

My personal highlight was the performance of his current track ‘Dude’ which is currently riding high in the charts. As soon as Beenie sang the first lines ‘If you wanna fix’ he had the crowd cheering. Miss Ting came on stage to her own contribution of ‘I want a dude with the wickedest slam’ - and that’s certainly what she got! There was plenty of grinding going on between the two, and at one point miss Ting was nearly pushed off the stage by Beenie, much to the crowds amusement.

After a lengthy and enjoyable set, Beenie left the stage and the lights went up to the crowds disappointment. People eventually headed home in the cold March night. Luckily a traditional Jerk Chicken was on hand to feed the hungry revellers and keep others warm.

I was not sure what to expect of the evening, as I had never been to a dancehall concert before. In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised by Beenie Man’s abilities as a performer. It was a great show and everyone seemed happy, resulting in the the night passing with no problems. A great night out. Look out for the return of Beenie Man to our shores later in the year.

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