Yellowman @ Moe’s

[Drunk Monk]

Still the King of the dancehall. Lawd.

[Drunk Monk]

It was a deliciously warm March night. I got there soon after the doors opened, grabbed a top shelf whiskey shot, and chatted up DJ Aye Que Linda. 

Pacific Vibration opened - a band out of Pacifica. Lead, rhythm, bass guitars, keys, drums, sax & trumpet. Lead & rhythm were brothers. They weren't very good. Only the sax delivered. The trumpet was almost there but kept over reaching and gassing out for the key notes. 

Then Quinto Sol backed up Yellowman. Lead, bass, keys & drums. They warmed us up with some wicked hard renditions of Marley riddems. 

Then King Yellow came out. Shook the hands of everyone on the rail, including me and my enabler Ben. A solid handshake, both hands embracing and good eye contact which I met as good as I could (wasn't sure which was his glass eye - I think the left one). 

He's pushing 70 (his birthdate is ambiguous). Survived cancer in the early eighties, had half his jaw removed due to it. And he's in incredible shape, cut, fit, and constantly moving. Not just moving - leaping, hopping across stage on one leg, doing push ups and deep lunges, even a split kick. Insane energy. His voice is shot, but his presence is so powerful. He works these time honored reggae dancehall and rubadub riddems with such panache, and fires the crowd up with call/response. He led us all in Happy Birthday to some sexagenarian that got up to front of stage. So engaging - dancing with the audience, passing the mike to us for choruses, getting us all to clap along. It was a show of his standards - opening with nobody move, tossing in some Marley, blueberry hill, and ending with zungguzungguguzungguzeng. Still luv dat mighty mighty riddem. 

Rasta Cruz turned out in force. I knew Yellowman would tear down a club and feed off the frenzied luv that Rasta Cruzians give up for reggae legends when they pass through. 

He shook our hands again when he left. We needed up backstage for a moment because Ben had a connection with Quinto Sol, but the King had already left the building. That was fine. I was completely satisfied with the evening. 

This was the best performance I've seen Yellowman do in a decade. So Irie. Still the KING OF THE DANCEHALL.

[King Bob]

I always enjoyed Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt

[Drunk Monk]

He opened with that. It’s one of my favs too.