When i heard that Jimmy Cliff was to play live at The opera House Bournemouth i knew that this just had to be seen and heard.Not only is the man a musical legend but the Opera House is a live venue thats second to none.

I gave a brief history of the building check my review of last years Reggae Meltdown, from the moment you enter the main hall it never fails to impress me with it`s multi million pound face lift taking you back to the days of Olde Time Music Hall splendour with royal box for hire (at a price) all this fitted out with a state of the art light and sound system.

First band of the night was `Legend` who are a Bob Marley cover act and i gotta say they are very good at what they do and the best that I`ve heard.Playing many of Bob`s famous tracks with confidence receiving good feed back from the crowd.The band is tight and obviously well rehearsed, their female backing singers complemented every song in the style that matched The I Three`s. It`s got to be said of course that Bob`s songs are all true classics and so if any band can perform them in a true and realistic fashion then they really can not fail to please a crowd.That said though this was the second time that I`ve seen `Legend` live and must say that through their obvious love and respect for Bob and his music the `Legend` lives on.

So the night was off to a pleasant start with all happy faces having been treated to a set of loved and well known songs it was now time for the main act,the one we`d all been waiting for,star of stage and screen the one and only `Jimmy Cliff`.I had not seen Jimmy live in the flesh before but i have grown up listening to his music with him having released some 20 albums.He sang many of his classics which is only to be expected and it wouldn`t be a Jimmy show without them.From the moment he burst on to the stage i just wondered where he get all his energy from,i would have liked to get back stage to ask him the secret of his youthful looks.The crowd i would estimate to have been around 1000 being made up of all ages,in fact i was surprised to see so many young faces amongst them,we were all treated to some strong solid performances of tracks like `The Harder They Come`,Veitnam,Wild World and of course the superb Many Rivers To Cross,Jimmy also sang some of his lesser known material,in fact if you dig deep into Jimmy`s music there are many over looked roots songs which is a shame.But as i say he is known and loved for his faster paced tunes and that i believe was what the majority of the crowd came for and expected to hear.Jimmy without a doubt is a true showman commanding the stage with the confidence that can only come with years of performances under his belt and hopefully there will be many more to come.Other than this one UK show Jimmy is due to play at this years Glastonbury so anyone attending be sure to check out his show,believe me you wont be disappointed.

So another great night was had at an amazing musical venue.Respect goes out to Romin (Mr Kyps) for all his work in promoting such a well attended event and bringing some badly needed reggae vibes to the south coast.I can only hope that the success of the night has paved the way to bring some more live reggae bands to the Opera House....all can be summed up in one word.......WICKED.

Reviewed by idread.

Photo`s by Rachael.

View More Photos Of This Event > Click Here

>> Back To Dance & Events Home

>> Back To Reviews Home