When Juliette and Randy from Atlanta booked their cruise tickets at the last minute 3 months ago, they wanted to see Buju Banton because they missed him in 2019 at the National Stadium. Like the nearly 2000 cruisers, they had never seen Beenie Man and Buju Banton perform on the same stage immediately after each other. They had high expectations for Monday night’s dancehall theme on the Love and Harmony Cruise, but they did not anticipate what they got last night.
“It was the greatest back-to-back dancehall performance I have ever witnessed by two of dancehall’s superstars,” Randy summed it up.
The sentiment was shared by Abigail and her best friend Savanah, who flew in from St Lucia to witness the history-making performance. “I would have been very upset with myself if I had only seen this on Youtube,” Abigail told CNW. “Beenie was extraordinary, but Buju was in a world by himself with his act,” chimed in Savanah.
Around 40 minutes after the MS Nieuw Amsterdam left Ocho Rios, Anthony “Beenie man” Davis took the stage at 9:20 Jamaican time. Dapperly dressed in a suit and tie, the “Doctor’s” medicine immediately heightened the energy in the crowd with his electrifying opening act.
He used up every section of the stage, belting out his crowd-pleasing favorites one after the other. The crowd was hungry for Beenie Man, and he stopped at nothing to satisfy their appetite with his 43 years of lyrics and stage performance experience. His usual command of the crowd was on full display as he danced and chatted with them while asking his band to “play another number one song for the people.”
With the crowd in a frenzy from Beenie Man’s exciting performance, one could not have imagined a higher gear for pleasure. But then came the “Gargamel” Mark “Buju Banton” Myrie. He opened with Bongocyaat, Wasteline, and Punnany, and it didn’t take long before his energetic performance started producing sweat droplets on his face. It has been three years since Buju performed, and you could tell that he was pumped up to deliver. He even expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, one he hadn’t had because of COVID-19.
His quality was different, and his act was emphatically great! While Beenie Man entertained with his performance, Buju added inspiration and thought-provoking content that captivated his audience. His songs delivered messages of hope, love, peace, and reality. His 32-song playlist railed against poverty, war, and injustice, but he also gave the Love and Harmony crowd some songs that made him famous early in his career.
Forty-five minutes into his stint Buju moved the gear up one more notch on his already crowd-pleasing performance. He brought out his good friend Beres Hammond to sing Falling in Love Again, and the crowd went wild.
When Buju ended his stint with 23rd Psalms, he left a very satisfied crowd floating on water towards the Bahamas. But then he did the unimaginable and gave the Love and Harmony cruisers something he has done only a few times in his long career – an encore. With the crowd shouting his name, he returned and gave his final act with Buried Live.
According to Virginia from Brooklyn, New York, “The price for the cruise was wrapped up in this one night of performance.” While she may be on to something, her thoughts might change after seeing the third of the “B” trilogy tonight – Beres Hammond.
Beres gave less than three minutes of his voice with Buju Banton last night, and the appreciation was deafening. One can only wonder what will happen when he gets the stage for one hour.
Seven out of ten persons who spoke with CNW are looking forward to the “One Dance” superstar. He has never disappointed, and tonight should be epic!
