THE HISTORIC LONG WALK TO FREEDOM FOR BUJU BANTON
Written by adminVibe on March 16, 2019
It was the most anticipated show of this decade in Jamaica. When it comes to Reggae music in it’s birthplace of Jamaica, this was the most historic show for this generation. Not since Bob Marley and the Wailers historic Smile Jamaica concert in 1976 has the island seen a show of this magnitude. This kind of response from people around the world has shown clearly Buju Banton is the voice of Jamaica.
The National Stadium was full of energy from early in the day with anticipation from fans that arrived from early in the week for the show. 32,000+ Buju Banton fans from all parts moved smoothly through re-routes and designated areas without any major incident.
People who weren’t inside the National Stadium had the option of viewing on CVM’s facebook live feed. Even though it was a free ticket inside the National Stadium it came with a price. Viewers could only watch a short clip of the performances and were then restricted to listen to the rest of the live performance. There was many mixed emotions that were expressed over the various social media outlets. In my opinion it was a treat to be able to even get a glimpse of Garmamel entering the stage if you didn’t pay the cost to make it to the live event. “Oatmeal is better than no meal”.
Since you guys asked lol. Here’s a few of my shots from the historic #LongWalkToFreedom concert! pic.twitter.com/4SFbuMIWuQ
— Cevan 📸 (@cevancoore) March 17, 2019
I’d like to officially big up Cevan Coore who in my opinion captured the best images I’ve seen from the show which he shared with the world through his twitter account @cevancoore.
I’d also like to hail up a true professional that has mastered his craft Mr. Winford Williams. Currently he’s with CVMtv in Jamaica. He host one of the most popular entertainment shows in the country “Onstage”. He, “as always” captured the historic moment and shared the vibe with those across the globe tuning in.
The performances leading up to the main event were highlighted by the Singing Duppy a.k.a. Ghost. The long time crowd pleaser gave a historical Micheal Jackson like performance making a serious fashion statement in his bright lime green/yellow suit. Always a great musical performance the money when it comes the Ghost.
L.U.S.T. the musical combination of Lukie “D”, Thriller U, Singing Melody, and Tony Curtis gave a superb performance. Each member broke of into one of there own featured hits which had the stadium singing along. Assassin/Agent Sasco, Christopher Martin, Delly Ranx, and Romain Virgo all did very well. Etana delivered her catalog of hits and took the national stadium up another level. It was Cocoa Tea that really set the place alive with his classics then bringing to the stage the young sensation to the stage Koffee which turned up the national stadium even more. Chronixx gave a nice performance before the night was turned over to Buju Banton who had just arrived.
Before you knew it the place erupted as the main event had arrived and word was the Gargamel was headed to the stage. The long 10 year wait was finally over and Buju finally made his long walk to freedom on to the stage in a full suit of white and after 10 years of be absent his first words were “Have mercy on me”.
After such a glorious intro Mr. Drummy slammed his sticks into gear and the national stadium was lit! The Buju Banton catalog was unleashed! The levels in the national stadium haven’t been that massive in decades. Then came Beres Hammond a longtime friend of Buju and the reunion was musical magic on stage for the 32,000+ people in attendance.
Truly a musical moment in Jamaican history that may never be forgotten. Welcome back to Buju Banton from all the staff at Reggae Vibe Media.
