that somebody forgot to put your name on the guest-list, but then the sweet lady at the gate lets you through.

The first thing you notice is the amount of cars parked on the long strip of road that leads from the gate to the stage area, and immediately you realise that this is no ordinary concert! The last living Wailer is in Bermuda and we have come out en masse to greet and vibe with him. The fact that there are so many cars suggests that this is no crowd of teenyboppers.

So then you drive forever to find a spot and one appears way at the back by the beach house and the music sounds too good to stand around worrying about a parking job so you get up in the crowd real quick. The crowd is large and decidedly mature -- this is big people's music, and these are big people! The Original Genesis Sound System spins the oldies while the 1000-plus strong crowd sways in irie appreciation. Soon after arrival a blonde-haired guy who looks more like a surfer than a reggae artist gets up on stage and proceeds to spit fire pon Babylon in a heartical original style. This peculiar fellow is hailed as Ras Flook aka `Flookie' and is backed by the very competent Jahstice Reggae Movement.

The local host, Mr. Controversy, shouted a lot -- that's all. The foreign host -- I didn't catch his name -- treated us like we knew nothing of Reggae music, but they only came on between the acts, which were many and generous.

In fact, one of the pleasantly surprising features about this show was the length of time that was afforded our local artists. In short, Ras Mykkal and Ras Giorgis did sets that lasted at least half an hour each, and featured some of the best performances of the night! It was a great feeling to hear Bermudians loving a Bermudian performer for a change. If we're more consistent with that support, our performers can become international forces some day.

Another highlight was when Ninja Cutty joined Ras Giorgis on stage to deliver a stirring rendition of the very topical hit Police State. Ninja Cutty spoke with passion on behalf of the dispossessed youth while the crowd raised lighters and Ras bubbled to the vibes.

The Warner Gombeys hit the stage between the two Rasses and blessed us with a typically spellbinding performance. The talent on this small piece of limestone is awe-inspiring -- believe that! Ricky Chaplin's set was short and sweet, solid and consistent throughout with no real hits and no real bombs, just good vibes. The Silk Brothers followed the same pattern really, except they dropped a couple of Garnett's classic cuts and garnered some appreciation for the effort. These sets were not bad, but they weren't outstanding either, but who can be outstanding in the shadow of one third of the greatest vocal group in the history of recorded sound?! Yami Bolo can. Perhaps the most underrated Jamaican singer of all time -- behind Johnny Osbourne of course -- Yami Bolo possesses a voice of pure spun gold. Highlights included a scorching rendition of the recent anti-gun anthem `Weapon of Destruction' and the best performance of `Isn't She Lovely' since Stevie Wonder's studio recording! Is that too much of an overstatement? Were you there?! "One bright mornin' when my work is over, I'm gonna fly away home ...''. The message was clear -- Bunny will lead the exodus when the time comes! His presence was awe-inspiring, and his voice was as clear and angelic as ever. He sang `Blackheart Man' and `Dreamland' and `Rockers' and `Simmer Down' and we absorbed his every word.

Mr. Livingston's set was energetic, educational and quite comprehensive! The songs mentioned above were obvious highlights for me, but I'm sure that every one of the 2000-plus fans in attendance could pick out one or two highlights that I may have missed while I was watching the stars and absorbing the vibes.

Have I mentioned the venue? Clearwater Beach is the best outdoor concert venue in Bermuda ... period! But I digress.

Bunny stopped the music many times during his almost two-hour-long set to just talk to us about life and the struggle and repatriation and black liberation, and we were students sitting at the feet of the oracle. He was a prophet like Bob, like Peter, like Jacob, like Garnett, and even a curfew would not silence his many words on this night! In fact, the only thing that would stop the prophet's musical revolution was the rain -- ain't that typical. It came around 4.30 a.m. and we moved very reluctantly to the parking lot, where we entered our vehicles and drove away ... happy to have experienced the last of the legendary Wailing Wailers.

Thank you Dread & Baha, for more than you know VEEJAY STEEDE Jammin: Bunny Wailer in reflective mood during Saturday night's concert REVIEW REV