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September 22, 2007
NEW JERSEY REGGAE FEST: Hurricane NINJA MAN inside, hundreds of fans turned away outside.
The 7th Annual New Jersey Reggae Fest turned out to be a roadblock indeed, as hundreds of fans were turned away on September 16 from the overcrowded Terrace Sports Complex in Newark. Some of reggae's most scorching names were on the bill for this historically well attended show. Roadblockradio.com was a main sponsor of the event, but had no idea their name would have rubbed off on the "scheme of things" that day.
Maybe it was because of the huge pre-event "buzz" on Ninja Man, who hardly ever is featured, that caused the outpouring of fans that day, but for those who got to stay...Ninja Man did not disappoint. The "original front teeth, gold teeth Don Gorgon" tore up the New Jersey Sports Complex giving one of his most memorable performances ever - in the US. Reminiscent of his glory days in the 90s, with that old, “Mighty Sting Vibes,” Ninja Man gave old and new fans what they had come out for and the applause in return was thunderous.
Taking musical jabs at one and all, Ninja Man speared no-one from his lyrical wrath. Accusing fellow DJs Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and D’Angel of going against their spoken philosophies on life, Ninja Man more than lit up the place with his saucy renditions. "I can never understand how Ninja always light up the place without a string of new hits", one female fan beamed. When Ninja finally said goodbye after two well earned encores, thousands of screaming reggae fans were left begging for more.
"I was very pleased that once again we were able to pull off a great concert, despite the fact that we had to turn many away", G City, concert promoter commented. Besides Ninja Man, all the artistes billed delivered strong, crowd-pleasing performances, with Tarrus Riley captivating the audience completely, giving a stirring performance at his first major New Jersey concert. Confidence and charisma were his, as he sailed smoothly through the set singing, "She's Royal," "Beware," "Parables" and others. Ras Emmanuel from New Jersey also proved in his performance, that he will be around for the long haul.
For Munga Honorable it was a continuation of his great US form, as he unleashed a barrage of favorites from his catalogue of hits including: "Bad From Me Born" and "Bad Like I." DJ Tony Matterhorn had the ladies on their feet with "Dutty Wine" and "Goodas Fe Dem". 'Five Star General' Bounty Killer and 'The Doctor' Beenie Man both worked hard but neither could match the lyrical agility of Ninja Man who reigned supreme.