Yawd crowd did it for the love
ALL tickets sold out! Microphone official. Chronixx made history on the final leg of his Chronology Tour; being the first Jamaican musician to sell out an event before the actual date of the show, here on home soil.
Hours before Chronixx’s long awaited appearance, posters were circulated, announcing what late-bird fans would have dreaded – no tickets available at the gate.
Talk about sensational homecoming!
But catch this, exactly a week after Black Friday, which has now caught on locally, the roots and culture ambassador poetically counteracted the consumer frenzy with a sold out event, demonstrating a consumer traction for conscious music. And also a neat allusion to a line from the song, Black is Beautiful, on his Grammy nominated
Chronology album.
Speaking of which, homegrown fans who actually made it into the venue would have left the event satiated, with the reggae star having performed more than half the songs on the album. To name a few, songs like
Skankin Sweet, Ghetto Paradise, Majesty, I Can, Likes, of course, and
Legend. And to every song, members of the audience sang along ecstatically. It was truly something to witness.
Also, the appetizers were more than just entertaining to get the audience ready for main course. They each gave quality deliveries. Opening the show was Eesah, whose lyrical impressions on the track Perfect Tree from Chronixx’s Roots and Chalice mixtape last year, has left many of us reggae fans eager to hear more. And based on his performance, there’s much to look forward to from Eesah.
Following was the musical maestro, Protoje, who delivered an unforgettable set. As though performing just his hit song for the year,
Blood Money, were not enough to get the audience going, Proto Diggy took us to the
Ancient Future with tracks like
Criminal and
Protection, and other hits like
Sudden Flight and
Rasta Love. Other members of the Indiggnation also touched the stage, namely:
Mortimer, Sevana, and
Lila Ike.
By this, the audience was on their feet for close to two hours, waiting for the man of the hour to take hold of the mic, while ZJ Sparks kept the energy high between sets.
At exactly 11:44 pm, the homecoming reggae star made his entrance on stage, the audience greeting him with shouts and cheers in anticipation of a spectacular night. And that it was!
Something local fans would have also enjoyed was the young legend’s captivating delivery on stage; something that before, most would have only watched online from his tours around the world. Chronixx as a performer was enthralling to watch as he “skanked” and swayed on stage, visibly enraptured with his audience in the music.
Original don dadda, Chronicle, the only featured artiste on the Chronology album, joined his famed son on stage to perform Big Bad Sound and of course to deliver other treats. The Deejaying duo dueled each other free style, inspiring rousing cheers from the audience. No one really expected that one.
Also sharing with the stage briefly with Chronixx were Protoje for the hit song, Who Knows. And Jah9, another roots and culture advocate whose music has been loved and received locally and internationally, also touched the mic.
Speaking of advocacy, Chronixx used his platform to reason with his countrymen about the dire issue of crime in Jamaica, speaking directly to the youth through spoken word and song. The message was clear; his mission as a musician was not solely to entertain, but to edify and uplift.
Shortly after 2:00 am, Chronixx closes the show with his popular song, again from the Chronology album, Legend. How fitting!