The second installment of the wonderfully nostalgic Veterans In Action concert series went down without major incident on a storm-threatened Armistice Eve at the timeless BAA gymnasium.Thursday night was windy, rainy, and downright disagreeable, but even the grumpiest weather couldn’t keep 400 or so die-hard Reggae fans away from a concert hall many of them would have remembered quite fondly.I arrived before the winds got too high, and was almost knocked down by a wave of memories that started at the bottom of the narrow stairway leading up to the main hall at BAA, and intensified when the music got aggressive at the top of the stairs. The scene was nothing short of amazing! It was a scene frozen in time; an elaborate flashback that delivered the vibe, feel, and energy of 20 years previous. I kid you not, it literally felt like 1991 in BAA on Thursday night.The sound met me like a long lost wall of love, and the revellers were smiling, laughing, greeting each other enthusiastically, and moving in perfect harmony with the rhythms emanating from the speakers. It was a reggae lover’s fantasy. I was home. Local DJ Juggling Jay was at the altar when I arrived, and he simply smashed the dance! A rich vein of late 80s reggae classics informed his offensive, and the crowd capitulated to his every whim during his ample set behind the tables.The live acts invaded the stage a bit before 12am, by which time the vibes had been made decidedly Irie.Stand-out locals included Woody Noble and the always excellent Junior C. Junior C was, in fact, a highlight of the entire show, as he performed his rapid-fire staccato-style raps with increasing intensity and fanfare each time. It was downright thrilling to be reminded just how talented Junior C is, and has been, all these years.Both Junior C and Woody Noble were invited to intermingle with the international acts as well, which they did to great effect, garnering some of the biggest crowd responses of the night during those moments.The international veterans gave competent performances, with Shinehead being the pick of the bunch. The legendary Jamaican rapper was imperious behind the tables, and delivered hit after hit after hit in front of the tables.Pieces like the seminal ‘Rough and Rugged’, the inspirational ‘Strive’ (performed with Schreechy Dan), and the massive ‘Jamaican in New York’ had the crowd in a frenzy, and reminded us all just why Shinehead was an international reggae phenomenon back in the late 80s and early 90s.Tony Screw and Schreechy Dan also represented their individual legacies well, holding firm on stage and delighting the crowd with moments of vintage reggae delight. Perhaps the biggest problem with this show was the fact that the international acts had to hold firm to get their time in. The stage was inundated at times, with as many as ten people walking back and forth, and several individuals actively attempting to hijack the single microphone.To be honest, the outcome wasn’t bad. It actually added to the energy and intensity of the performances, but a clear cut set for the main attractions would have been nice as well. However, even this minor misstep brought back memories of similar stage shows at BAA, Pig’s Field and Clayhouse, when the world was young and Bermuda was considerably more innocent.At the end of the day, this was a nice show. A definite parking lot filler; especially since the crowd almost entirely arrived in their own private cars! There were not many auxiliary or motorcycles in the parking lot on Thursday night. Perhaps that was the only difference; you see, back when the folks in attendance on Thursday night were first falling in love with this music, they would have arrived on a Peugeot moped, a Mobylette, a Yamaha V50, or the bus. Now we are grown, and grown folks drive cars to the dance! What a life!