With the energetic salutation “I love y’all Boston!”, reggae legend Yellowman made his presence known during the free concert on campus Tuesday, which celebrated the inauguration of Chancellor Gora. Introduced by WILD Radio’s “Jammin'” Joe, the time-tested hot stepper, decked in bright red pants, matching Adidas shoes and shirt, and red bandana, stepped up to microphone like a champion, and delivered a set of music that kept everybody moving. A setting sun and a cool breeze sweetened the evening, which was attended by folks of all ages from the UMass Boston community
As the well-oiled Sagittarius band kept a steady beat, Yellowman opened his set with his charted hits, “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt”, “One Yellowman”, and “Send a Letter to Rosie”. An enthusiastic crowd kept Yellowman in top spirits-a feeling he returned by reaffirming his love for Boston, and by literally dancing for the entire show. Without missing a beat, Yellowman went into “Be My First Tonight”, “Duppy” and “Oh, Carolina!”
Known for making his mark in the Dancehall scene by chanting humorous catch phrases and gratuitous innuendos, Yellowman displayed an attitude that has changed with the time. Before getting into “Yo-Yo,” his tribute to safe sex, he proclaimed, “This is a message for y’all, and a real message ya got to hear.” Though this humorous number went over well, Yellowman brought back his old-school dance songs, much to the approval of the audience, with “Two-to-Six Supermix” and “Getting Married in the Morning”.
An interesting twist to the set was Yellowman’s rendition of an American classic, “Blueberry Hill”, a surprising success when performed in an island-tempo. But it was back to reggae when he closed the set with “Pass the Couchi” and “Zunguzungguzungguzeng”. Stopping often to connect with the audience, Yellowman surprised everyone with an unexpected announcement before getting off stage: “This year, I a’ play for the Boston Celtics,” he laughed, “No, no. I just stick to the music. Thank you all.” A cheering crowd encouraged the performer to come on for an encore, “Jamaica Nice”, a great way to close the evening.
After the show, Yellowman took the time to meet with about thirty fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs. He also offered a few thoughts about the evening: “Yah Mun, Respect. I love Boston, Man. Ya know, mun, the people keep me strong. All through the years the people, they support me and they give me a good welcome all the time. I’ll be back to y’all”. When asked about the maturity of his new material, he said, “You got to keep it straight and keep it genuine for the young people. Tell ’em the right thing, and do the right thing and be real for the people. Give much respect every time.”
The night began with a performance by Entrain, who came to Boston via Martha’s Vineyard. The six-member entourage riveted the audience with “Mo Drums” and “River Run”, a melodic barrage of beats. Tom Major and Sam Holmstock, part of the team, said, “The drumming is a huge part of our show. It is influenced by the drums of the world: Brazilian, West African, Caribbean, and American. It really comes from everywhere on the planet!”
Using every type of instrument available, from a washboard to a trombone, Entrain lit the stage with “Cohiba”, “Uncle Jolly”, and “Sad Joe”. The fusion of sounds came through the music nicely in “Mother Street”, and was particularly well done when they played “Tarbosh”. Finishing with “Mexican Bus,” Entrain was successful in loosening the crowd for Yellowman.
“This was a great group of people,” said Major, “And this is a wonderful spot to play. We always drive by it when we’re on the road, but this is the first time we’ve stopped. We definitely want to come back!”
From the looks of the crowd, the feeling was mutual. Minh Luong, an English major in her Junior year, said that she had a great time, “It’s nice to take advantage of this type of thing. It’s a really cool idea. We should do it every year.”