Twenty-Five years and still going strong, Reggae Sumfest was in all its Glory. The eight-days Reggae festival which was staged from 15th to 22nd July 2018 has been an annual pilgrimage for both local and international guests to enjoy the music and culture they love. Sumfest was created in 1993 and has become an international event that draws attention to the city of Montego Bay which plays a main role in the tourism sector in Jamaica.
Artistes and Musicians who are selected to perform on the Sumfest stage are seen as the best in their genre and they consider it a privilege to performed. Under the management of the Chief in command, Joe Bogdanovich, Sumfest has had a few hiccups but has managed to emerge as one of the Greatest Reggae Show on earth.
The 2018 staging of the event at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay was highlighted with the two main featured events: Dancehall Night and Reggae Night.
Dancehall Night had 24 performances all of whom did not captivate the audience. It is sad to say that most Dancehall Artistes who record good songs and sound good during studio sessions, have lack luster performances when it comes to live deliverance of their talent. This can be frustrating from an audience’s perspective. However, Performances from Agent Sasco, Spice, Govana, Stone Bwoy, Yanique, Ioctane, Press Kay, Ding Dong and Dance Xpressions brought some level of professionalism to the night which other performers in the Dancehall genre should try to emulate.
Reggae Night was “the night”. All the sixteen performers were professional in their execution, working harmoniously with their bands and backups. Their vocal clarity was at its finest; the lyrics of each song could easily be heard and were sung word for word by the fans. It was a pleasure to witness talent that has been groomed and mastered. The Climatic performance of the night was from Damian Jr. Gong Marley son of the late Bob Marley who gave us another great presentation aided with a marvelous spectacle of a light show which lasted to the last words of thanks to the audience. From my prospective, Reggae Night was well executed and received by the masses.
Overall the contrasting comparison of both nights was very evident I must applaud the efforts though of the Management team and the Sponsors for planning and hosting such a grand, magnificent event. For me, Sumfest was a great experience and I look forward to the next meeting of this mecca for reggae singers and their worshipers.