Beres Hammond - Photo by DAVIDiPhoto.com

The venue couldn’t have been better. After all, it’s the world famous Hard Rock Live, where the stars perform to huge audiences. Last Friday was no different, as Beres fans came out in droves.

The stage was set for a big night of reggae music.

First up it was Lena Wilks, a former rising star winner out of Jamaica, who gracefully raised the curtain with a compelling performance worthy of a budding star.

Then it was time for the energetic and exuberant Kenyata Hill (the son of the late Joseph Hill) who succeeded his father in carry on the name of the famous 70s group Culture. The talented young man immediately connected with the audience, performing some hits from the group’s catalogue, much to the delight of his newly found fans.

Culture, with Kenyatta Hill - Photo by DAVIDiPhoto.com

Drum roll please… now ladies and gentlemen it’s star time!

The Hard Rock Live really came alive when the mega star out of St. Mary, Jamaica took to the stage, bringing the venue to a crescendo with the delivery of his first note. Finally, the man that they waited for all night was now at center stage taking total command of an enthusiastic audience waiting to be captivated.

It was at that point when I lunged forwarded to the edge of my seat and couldn’t help but think why the man, who by all accounts is one of reggae’s biggest singing stars, cannot distinguish himself to claim his rightful place. He is regarded as the as ‘the king of lovers rock’ and the heir apparent to the Crown Prince of Reggae Dennis Emanuel Brown, but is yet to claim his royalty.

As I sat there, I thought about what the ‘royal ones’ would have done in such a high profile venue, almost filled to capacity with a beseeching audience ready to be part of history. I thought of when Bob Marley upstaged the Commodores in the world famous Madison Square Gardens, and reminisced on Dennis Brown’s 1987 Reggae Sunsplash performance.

I continued watching Beres delighting the audience. It was more on an even keel, drawing huge response from the crowd at times, myself included, as he performed his catalogue of popular songs.

Then it finally came to me. Beres will always turn out decent, crowd-pleasing performances because of his good delivery and the popularity of his songs. However, what is clearly lacking is his willingness to extend himself and to seize the moment.

The concert was dubbed ‘For The Love of It’, but clearly the passion was never sustained throughout his performance, as he failed to keep up the energy levels. He talked a little too much during the performance and differed too often to his band to carry the show to an audience waiting to be captivated.

So, now I finally figured out what separates the good ones from the greats. The greats leave indelible performances on stage that will be talked about for life, while the good ones turn out acceptable performances, which will be forgotten with time.

I am now convinced by all accounts that Beres is a good artiste that will pack a venue and turn out a good, bordering great performance, like he did last Friday, but I am still waiting for him to find that passion that will bring him royalty status.

Thus, reggae remains with one crowned prince in Dennis Brown; who will be next?

I would be remiss if I did not mention that he never took time out to salute one of the pioneers in the business, Lincoln ‘Sugar’ Minott, on his passing – something I found quite odd.

Overall, it was a very good concert and kudos must be given to Tanto Irie and the Redline Media crew for putting together another quality production.