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October 07, 2009
Irish and Chin 'Reeewind' a true rub-a-dub celebration
New York, October 6, 2009 : — Solid performances from King Stur Gav, Mighty Crown, Brigadier Jerry, General Trees, Capleton, Beenie Man, Sugar Minott and Santa Ranks was the hallmark of Irish and Chin’s highly-anticipated Reeewind last weekend at New York’s Club Amazura.
The thousands of Reggae fans who filled up the venue included those who had traveled from far and wide, some from as far as Atlanta and Miami, to be part of the landmark staging of this classic, one-of-a-kind Rub A Dub event.
Heavy promotion by Irish and Chin, coupled with the endorsement by New York's IrieJam radio, helped to make "Reeewind" the huge success it was.
Unfortuantely, three of the artistes originally billed for "Reeewind" — U-Roy, Luciano and Charlie Chaplin — faced immigration issues andwere unable to perform. The promoters, however, found a quick replacement in the form of the sweet Sugar Minott who gave a performance that will long be remembered.
"Reeewind" jump started with an intense early warm by the "Far East Rulers" Mighty Crown. who laced Amazura with straight "Rub-a-dub" classics. The crowd responded well as many in the audience held their partners close to groove to the timeless hits. Mighty Crown boldly displayed a side not often seen by the massive. Sami, Simon and Koji, Mighty Crown's foundation guru, maintained great continuity and control of the crowd until 1:30 AM.
Following Mighty Crown was the one-and-only King Stur Gav. The caliber of music that King Stur Gav unleashed was impeccable. Once the bass line dropped, artistes took center stage and gave patrons their money's worth until the wee hours of the morning. Amazura was officially converted into a sweat-soaked, vibes-filled "Rub-a-dub" session.
Every artist on the ticket was a hot item. The audience roared many times through out the night, whether it was for recognisable lyrics or quick-fire freestyles. Born for the stage, Beenie Man dominated the mic for quite a while until he was slightly schooled by Brigadier Jerry who later commanded the audience with his relentless microphone skills. Often credited as one of the forefathers of dancehall music, Brigadier Jerry proved that he is the ultimate deejay.
General Trees entertained the fans through out the night with his ability to ride riddims continuously. Meanwhile, Santa Ranks held it down for New York. Although Capleton's stints on the microphone were brief, the crowd went wild each time he touched the stage.
Sugar Minott laced the "Rub-a-dub" riddims with perfection. His full fledged vocals were the event's main ingredient. From belting freestyle lyrics and those of his own hits to top Reggae and R&B selections, Sugar Minott was a force to be reckoned with.
At 4:00 AM, patrons were still trying to get in the sold-out event. Even when the lights came on shortly after 4:30 AM, the audience was still enthralled.