Street to Prospect, the reggae rhythm was thick enough to taste! Three weeks ago we had been blessed by the presence of the legend, tonight we would indulge in the wisdom of the prophet.

I got up in the place (North Village field down at Bernard's Park) at around 11 p.m. that night. To tell the truth, I was kind of irritated because I had ticket troubles again and I couldn't find Donovan anywhere! But that's not relevant is it? I got in and that's all that matters at this point right? Anyway, we walked in to the sounds of the international Travelers Sound System and Fire and Marlon already had the crowd in that familiar trance. The tunes were sweet seen?! I realised immediately that this was a decidedly younger crowd than the one that congregated to sit and learn at the feet of the last living Wailer three weeks ago. This was a crowd that had been raised on Capleton's music, much like the earlier group had been raised on the music of the legendary Bunny Wailer. And these disciples were no less fervent than the former group! My second immediate impression was that the stage area was VERY impressive indeed! It was set up like one of those big 30,000 people concerts, you know, with the big screen TV thingies on either side of the stage, and the floating camera. I believe the entire evening was web-cast live over the Internet, and from what I saw, Bermuda carried herself very well! There were a lot of technical people involved and the infrastructure was handled by Dread and Baha, who should be congratulated for another job done exceedingly well.

And then there was the actual show. Travelers played for too long -- straight up! By the end of their set, Fire and Marlon were calling for the organisers to relieve them after every song! The crowd was generally appreciative of their efforts, but you know how we get impatient. It's only honesty that behooves me to report the subtle rumblings of `give me my money back' and other such dissatisfied mutterings. But then Mr. Controversy arrived on stage and began to shout at us again ... it somehow seemed more appropriate this time though (big up Andrew!).

Soon the local acts were gracing the stage with the customary two songs and out format. Sissy Bascome, Ali Malik, Bigga Dread and Shorta ranks all blessed us with competent performances and urgent messages, while Daddy Leo evoked much love from the crowd when he hailed up the White Wall and Frontline Crews (I'm a neutral so I wasn't impressed either way). The most pleasant surprise of the local acts was the righteousness chatting Military Man (although I have to admit, I did roll my eyes when I heard that name.). The kid was good! Period! But the truth is, at that point all we wanted to see was the Prophet. It's unfortunate, but it seemed as if the crowd was consciously willing the local acts off the stage at times. Perhaps it was the impatience of youth that overwhelmed us that night because by the time the main event was ready to begin, the crowd seemed listless and spent.

We woke up fast! Caplton exploded onto the stage to the unmistakable chords of "Jah Jah City'' ... and the crowd exploded with him! Fire appeared from everywhere as the youths expressed their jubilation with the universal `cloud of fire' salute (lighters have long been inadequate for these kids!). And the night lit up like carnival, or Independence Day, or riot or some sort of big release. And boy did they release! The second word in my notebook is WOW! And that describes it quite well! The prophet threw all he had at us, oozing energy and revolution from every syllable.

The prophet has spoken! temperature rise considerably by the time the band broke into the opening chords of the monster hit "Good in Her Clothes''. And then we were complete.

Capleton was amazing! There is no other way to say it! He constantly hailed us with his familiar catch phrase "More Fire!'', but really, there was no more fire than that which he brought with him! He did an almost two hour set and went through at least 75 percent of his entire catalogue of hits; from "Raggy Road'' to "Lotion Man'', with the all time favourites "Dis De Trinity'' and "Tour/Chalice'' sprinkled in between. This was indeed an excellent performance by a legendary Jamaican Dee-Jay! It should also be known that Capleton addressed a very attentive group of youngsters at the CedarBridge Academy on Friday afternoon, proving once again that he is "preacin' teachin' de people fe sure!'' And his name is as deserved as any we have ever coined. The Prophet is still chanting down Babylon, and by the looks of things, he won't be stopping any time soon! This show was a very well constructed affair. The stage was immaculate, the setting was good and for all intents and purposes, everything ran smoothly (notwithstanding our niggling impatience). Dread & Baha pulled off another one for the ages! And Donovan deserves much respect for his role as well. Big up Dub City crew and the many hands that went into making this show happen. Maybe next time we can get some corporate sponsorship huh? What you think? To check out the entire event again, go to www.dread-baha.com. They tell me it's all there, go check it out! THEATRE REVIEW THR REV