The Black Ark Has Landed....and there's enough ackee and saltfish to share (7.01.08)

so what on this not-so-green earth and infinite universe can be better than a FREE LEE SCRATCH PERRY SHOW right here in beautiful Toronto in the ever-so-fresh and new summer season?????????...well...i'm sure a couple of things....the point is.....nothing i can recall in recent memory.....

so last night at the Harbourfront Centre, the Jamaican E.T. himself...Lee "Scratch" Perry blessed my eye-sight and ear-scope with his wacky, prolific and prophetic sounds.....

it was his first time playing with this native-Canadian backup ensemble so i (along with the hundreds upon hundreds there) felt honoured....

i got there with about 30 minutes to spare as "my inside source"got word that he was running late leaving the hotel (he's Jamaican: time is of no true measure~i can say that because i got the "jamdown genes" in me too....so i completely overstand)...

so bubblin' with about 8 other cohorts in the crew (holding down the back barricades with force ~ good work sean & mike!!!!)...it was a good vibe (for lack of a more powerful term) as the mystic was blowing through the air and the smiles were constantly being shared....it's true....Lee Perry brings it out by and large....AND in droves.....

the crowd was laced with all sorts and i truly believe that the majority were there to specifically check out this Dub Giant wrapped up in about 5 foot 4 inches of flesh which is Mr. Perry.....to be honest since it was apart of the long-weekend festivities, there were  stragglers that were just passing through to check out the hubbub and had no idea what they were getting into.....those folks didn't last very long as the crowd of thousands reduced to about hundreds by the middle of the set....

it was the first time i checked out the 72 year old dub creator, however, i DID know what to expect.....his music, some might argue, takes the passenger seat to his far-out-er-space-y-ness (hybrid nonsense word count: 1)...he has fully endorsed MJ and drops his psy-ence (hybrid nonsense word count: 2) on Guinness ads....but to me, the two-sides are a cohesive package....and i fully enjoyed the mixture of sight & sound~

(his smoking head gear was definitely a sight and the dub was certainly sweet sweet sounds)

this man of history, The Teacher, The Upsetter, The Scientist, The Deep Roots Music Conductor...is a pivotal part of all things classic and it was an event to witness this rare occurrence (as i don't think he's ever been to Toronto for a gig before~you're welcome to educate me of the contrary).....

it was a good evening.

"Music IS the Only Converter"

(Ka)Nish