Arise Roots opened a show for Luciano, “The MessenJah,” at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, San Diego on June 12th, and it was obvious the band has love for the WBC’s director, Makeda “Dread” Cheatom. Makeda has love for them as well, as she announced vocalist, Karim Israel as her favorite singer- so of course she had to have Arise Roots open for Luciano, she said! What a good match it was that night! Not only did Arise Roots play some great roots-inspired reggae, they were also able to play for an extended amount of time. Songs included, “Fear Factory,” People Are You Ready,” “Moving Forward,” and by a personal request from Makeda, “Lay Your Guns Down.” Arise Roots sounded great- especially with that Gibson electric guitar, but we here at Top Shelf Reggae would appreciate more of that extra bass we saw pop up here and there!
…we can see how hypnotizing, inspirational, and spiritual this singer projects his music
IKronik was the next band to play before Luciano took the stage. IKronik, a modern reggae band from Jamaica with an original sound, honors roots-reggae stylistically in addition to rocking out on both the guitar and vocals. They played a song about “having a real good time tonight,” which included “San Diego” in the lyrics, which seemed to have caught the attention of the audience. Although their set was seemingly short, they did a fantastic job opening up for Luciano in our opinion!
It was our first time checking out roots-reggae legend, Luciano in concert, and we can see how hypnotizing, inspirational, and spiritual this singer projects his music. IKronik appeared to back him up, and they had to rewind a few songs, but for the most part, his presence on stage was strong, and the crowd that night was definitely there for this “messenJAH!”
We here at Top Shelf Reggae hope Luciano enjoyed his time here in the States!
Dread Mar I – “Only Love” featuring Luciano
Share this article
or
Get music updates in your inbox