New Jersey: RoadblockRadio.com was a main sponsor for the 7th Annual New Jersey Reggae Fest, and it was a roadblock indeed as hundreds of fans were turned away from the event last Sunday as the packed Terrace Sports Complex in Newark was unable to accommodate the large numbers of reggae fans who were hoping to catch some of the hottest names in reggae.
There was a huge pre-event buzz on Ninja Man who is rarely seen in this area and he did not disappoint. The ‘original front teeth, gold teeth Don Gorgon’ stormed through the Terrace Sports Complex, Newark, NJ and delivered his most memorable performance ever on US soil. It was a performance reminiscent of his glory days at Sting in Jamaica in the 1990’s, and old and new fans showed their appreciation with thunderous applaud for the duration of his set.
Ninja Man was the first artiste at the venue, arriving more than 5 hours before his schedule set. Once on stage, no one was speared his wrath, as he took musical jabs at all and sundry, including rivals Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and D’Angel, accusing his fellow entertainers of practicing in real life exactly what they preach against on records. “I can never understand how Ninja always light up the place without a string of new hits”, one female fan beamed. When Ninja finally said goodbye after two well earned encores, thousands of screaming reggae fans were left begging for more.
“I was very pleased that once again we were able to pull off a great concert, despite the fact that we had to turn many away”, G City, concert promoter commented. And publicists for the event Dave Rodney and Anthony Turner said they spared no efforts in making the show a marketing success, opting to make the unusual move of doing a press launch for the event in New York rather than in New Jersey.
But while the New Jersey Reggae Fest belonged to Ninja Man, the other big names billed also delivered satisfying, crowd-pleasing performances. If there were doubts about Taurus Riley’s ability to enthrall a crowd, those doubts were quickly dispelled with a stirring performance at his first major outing in New Jersey. The young crooner was in fine vocal form, displaying style, charisma and confidence as he glided thought “She’s Royal,” “Beware” and “Parables.” And New Jersey-based reggae artist Ras Emmanuel proved why he will be around for the long haul.
Munga Honorable continued his great form in the USA , unleashing a barrage of favorites from his catalogue of hits including “Bad From Me Born” and “Bad Like I.”
DJ Tony Matterhorn had the ladies on their feet with “Dutty Wine” and “Goodas Fe Dem”. ‘Five Star General” Bounty Killer and ‘The Doctor’ Beenie Man both worked hard but neither could match the lyrical agility of Ninja Man who reigned supreme.
