The late great Robert Nesta Marley once sang: "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. Hit me with music, hit me music now."

His son Ziggy certainly hit Bermuda with music on the opening night of the 15th Bermuda Music Festival.

With a performance very reminiscent of his father, the eldest son of Rita and Bob Marley filled the Fairmont Southampton Beach club with positive vibes, a fitting start to the popular event.

With a venue change, it wasn't clear if the Festival would have the same feel as previous years. But on arrival, it was obvious that nothing can beat reggae music on the beach under the stars.

The show was opened by Bermudian actor/performer Uzimon who came on stage wearing a poncho and a rancher hat.

While Uzimon's blend of music and comedy was entertaining, I would have preferred to see a real local reggae artist like Troy Anthony grace the stage instead of an actor performing a parody of a music star.

Reggae band HomeGrown hit the stage with its usual hyped, energy filled performance.

Lead vocalist McCannon Cassidy, aka Mista Moxx, did his thing — jumping up and down, waving a rag and running across the stage, all while singing. He's definitely a sight to see.

Songs included 'Complicated' and a remix of UB40's 'Red Wine'.

Once HomeGrown stepped off the stage, Power 95 DJ's Radigun and Power Girl entertained the crowd for a bit while Ziggy's band prepared.

When he finally came on stage, the crowd went wild.

Wearing a simple light blue button-up, blue jeans and his most famous accessory, long dreadlocks, Mr. Marley started his two-hour long set with 'This Train is Bound for Glory'.

If I blinked a few times, I could have almost tricked myself into thinking his father was on stage.

The crowd stood up to dance and sway to the music, enjoying every minute of it.

Ziggy sang hit after hit, drawing the audience in with his soothing voice and addictive reggae beats.

The first half was a bit too mellow for me as many of the songs sounded similar and were slower.

Songs included 'Love is My Religion', 'I Get Out', 'Make Some Music' and so many more. But it was when he began to cover his father's music that the crowd went wild.

The first song was 'Get Up, Stand Up' which put the crowd in a frenzy.

But it was when the music for 'Is This Love' started to play that I went into a frenzy.

Not only is that my favourite Bob Marley song, it seemed to be everyone's favourite song. And then not only did Ziggy sing it, but he started it over twice and performed the song for at least ten minutes much to the crowd's enjoyment.

He also performed 'Jammin', another highlight.

Overall, this was a great start to the music festival. While I wasn't blown away, Ziggy did perform a solid set which the audience seemed to eat up.

Maybe next time, Government should look into bringing Damien Marley down. ... Just a thought.

See Monday's Royal Gazette for reviews of last night and tonight's concerts.

See www.theroyalgazette.com for videos and more pictures of the Bermuda Music Festival