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Apparently a bunch of things caused hiccups at One Drop, the first Coveside Concerts show for their 2025 season, held last Saturday at Plantation Cove, St Ann. But, despite that, it was still a night to remember, as Gramps Morgan had boldly predicted days prior.
From the Dance Xpressionz opening at 8:15 p.m. with Bob Marley’s One Drop, to great performances from Gramps Morgan, Barrington Levy, and Luciano, who knelt and prayed for “the restoration of morality and sanity to the music industry”; and even the police showing up as enforcers of the 12 midnight lock-off permit, it was certainly a memorable night.
Of course, had the event run on schedule, then the cops would not have had to kill the joy during Levy’s set. However, they did extend some grace. It was a moment when, as the band “mixed” him, and the officers stood on the steps leading to the stage, Levy’s voice rang out like an abeng: “ Let us be like a soldier and defend our area cause the enemies are coming with their guns and ammunition ... don’t fear them my brethren because together we are strong so let us be like a soldier and defend our area.” The fans loved it.
It was a noticeably slimmed down Barrington Levy who took charge of the stage at 11:50 p.m. He told the audience that it has been a long time since he performed in Jamaica, and it was clear that the Mellow Canary was ready to give them their money’s worth as he delved into his catalogue of hits and delivered songs such as Murderer, Too Experienced, and Here I Come (Broader Than Broadway). He had Plantation Cove as his choir.
“I can’t be present at every pan that knock. You cannot overdo your welcome ... . I love to be missed,” a jovial Levy explained to The Gleaner team backstage as his reason for not being seen regularly in Jamaica.
Prior to Levy’s performance, fans enjoyed ‘The Gramps Morgan Experience’, which included a reggae and country reggae package and gems from the catalogue of his Grammy Award-winning sibling group, Morgan Heritage. He wore his patriotism on his jacket sleeves which had Jamaica flag emblems stitched on, and he was the the proud country bwoy as he instructed the band to “cook it dung [the music] inna coc’nat St Thomas style”. His set included Psalm 23, the Buju Banton collab, Positive Vibrations, which has a distinct Festival Song vibe, Runaway Bay, A Woman Like you, Wash the Tears and People Like You. Gramps also called on his brother Mojo and son, Jemere, for a collab.
With Tuesday marking the one-year anniversary of the passing of his brother Peetah of Morgan Heritage, Gramps, on Saturday, paid tribute to him both on stage and during his interview with The Gleaner.
“This concert ... it’s just a joy to be given this opportunity by Coveside ... in Reggae Month. In the next few days is the anniversary the day when my brother Peter passed away and it was just an emotional performance tonight for me. The year has been rough ... yuh hear mi ... rough,” Gramps emphasised emotionally. “But we lean on each other.”
OPENING ACT
At 9:31 p.m., Luciano, after a long pause following Dance Xpressionz’s set, brought his message. The audience’s frustration at the long wait melted away as they joined Jepther Washington McClymont in songs such as Give Praise to Rastafari, Who Could it be, Never Give up my Pride, Sweep Over My Soul, I Believe, New Day Dawning, Your World and Mine and To Serve Jah.
At 10:18, he exited with Over the Hills, returned for It’s me Again Jah, at which point he knelt and prayed.
Organiser Vonni McGowan, noted that the late start was “very un-Coveside like” but pointed out that “the quality of the performances and the depth of the cultural offering made the audience very forgiving”.
“I have to say that Barrington Levy is a cultural gem. Coveside Concerts really intends to showcase the best of Jamaica. Why you think we have Dance Xpressionz? Because a lot of people think about dance in the theatre but Jamaican dance is really rooted in the dancehall. Barrington started in the dancehall. When I think of songs like Prison Oval Rock which started as a dub outside the Spanish Town Penitentiary. We are a cultural Mecca and we are a creative haven and we don’t divorce the two. And I think that Luciano embodied that as the act who opened the show ... and Gramps is walking in the [Morgan] lineage,” McGowan said in her own summation.
The 2025 Coveside Concerts season continues on Saturday, March 29 with Timeless, featuring Dionne Warwick, Marcia Griffiths, Myrna Hague and Duane Stephenson.
English (US) ·