Show review
Barrington Levy
4th & B - Downtown San Diego
June 18th 2003

By Kate Moodie and Michael Breen, SDAM Staff Writers
©Copyright 2024 SDAM.com/Kate Moodie/Michael Breen

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[Kate Moodie's review, from the crowd perspective]
The great ones always know how to put on a good show for the crowd, and Barrington Levy along with his superbly talented musicians were able to set the stage for an awesome night!

The opening act was of a Reggae Jump-up nature, which didn't get me super stoked, but actually worked well to get the crowd geared for the big act. The energy shot up after a little late start with MC Reggae Makossa from 91X and the WorldBeat Center with her enthusiasm building the crowd's expectations for Barrington. When he finally made his way onto the stage I could see the sparks flying and smoke billowing from the pit where the most dedicated Rastafarians swayed to the beats.

Perhaps well known for his skills with the microphone, Levy also knows how to get the kind of feedback from the crowd necessary to keep the entire house jumping all night. Unfortunately, the crowd was not as responsive as he thought necessary in order to finish the song a few times and so would have to stop the momentum to get everyone together again. This made for good intermissions from the music so he could showcase his skills a little bit more, which were impressive to say the least!

Though this seemed to work a few times, I sensed a lack of spiritual compromise, or inspiration, coming from the artists as they skillfully plucked at guitars and beat drums while Barrington danced back and forth across the stage encouraging all to take part in the songs. Despite the group's effort, they didn't seem to have the same purity and connection to the music often seen in Live Reggae shows reminiscent of the "One Love" philosophy from the days of Reggae music's flourishment in the 60's and 70's.

Nonetheless, it's always great to see the crowd singing along to the songs they know. After speaking with a few followers of this "Reggae Legend," stated by one enthusiastic fan, I was impressed at the level of respect that everyone there seemed to express toward the stage and by the end of the night, I was happily among them!

Learn more about Barrington Levy.


[Michael Breen's review, from the backstage perspective]
I arrived late to the show, since I was recording a bass line for a friend's song. When I got to 4th & B I was told will-call was closed, and the security guard at the door turned me away. When I headed towards the backstage door he shouted out "That won't do you any good!" To quote Bugs Bunny: He don't know me very well, do he?

I've learned after many years and hundreds of concerts that a lot of backstage access has to do with attitude, at least as much as connections. So I know exactly what I'm doing! I started chatting to the security guard at the back door, told him I was on the artist's guest list, and needed to be inside asap since Barrington's manager had asked me to shoot the show for Barrington's Web site. Barrington had just taken the stage...I'd missed Big Mountain completely! Simply by being patient and polite, and having a "legitimate" story (unlike the extremely stoned guy wandering around mumbling to himself, and trying to sneak backstage every chance he got), I was rewarded by having one of the inside guards agree to look for my contact. After waiting a while longer, and no contact in sight, they agreed to escort me inside. Sure enough, there was my contact, who immediately said "Where have you been?" and shoved me onstage to start shooting.

I took my first shots from the stage. Since the band had already started, the crowd was already well baked and very into the music. The band was extremely smooth and talented, and looked like they were having fun backing a reggae legend. The crowd was singing along, so it was clear they knew the music well.

After shooting from the stage for a while, I headed for the photo pit (between the wall and the stage). The guard in the pit threw me out, so the adventure continued as I had to find my contact again, get a "legit" backstage wristband from security, then head for the pit again, trying to be un-smug as I showed the guard my wristband. I did wait until he came up to me ready to hoist me out...he was just doing his job. Access is fun...if you have it! I've been on the other side of that wall lots of times, and remember wondering what you had to do to be "cool enough" to get backstage. Trust me, it's a lot of hard work, planning, persistence and patience. This one kinda fell into my lap, through my connections at 4th & B and the artist rep realizing I had asked for a photo pass. I haven't heard back from them yet, hopefully the photos you see here and others will be on Barrington's "official site" very soon.