The 2011 summer concert season got off to a massive start at the wonderful Lords cricket ground in St David’s.The slated line-up featured two of the most recognisable young superstars on the cultural reggae planet.Logistic difficulties caused one of the promised acts, Etana, to miss the event, but by the end of Saturday night, no one making the relatively long trek out of St David’s could make anything close to a strong case for any sort of disappointment.For one thing, the local acts were abundant and excellent, with Bobby Washington and Sia Spence delivering stand-out sets.There was also the outright nostalgic setting; an open-air concert ground complete with food vendors, an ample bar, and an expertly constructed stage. You know, the kind of thing we as a community enjoyed quite frequently a few years back; in those days before violence tore a hole in this Country. The vibe down East on Saturday night felt, in a word, good.So the fact that one of the featured acts didn’t make the scene actually became something of an oddly minor detail. The atmosphere was that good. The crowd peaked at around 1,500 ravenous reggae fans, the sound and lighting was impressive throughout, and there was a vast reservoir of positive vibes on hand for this long awaited return to live music under the Bermuda night sky. Something magical was afoot.By the time the international acts took the stage just after Minister Scott Smith paid a heartfelt tribute to the many young men this community has lost through gang violence over the past few years the positivity and communal love was just about tangible.Mr Easy was the first international act to bless the stage. He offered a brisk set of classic hits, including the satirical ‘Driving Me Crazy’, and was showered with appreciation by the amazingly responsive crowd. In fact, this crowd, the first Bermudian crowd to be treated to a live open air concert in quite a while, seemed to lap up every delectable morsel of this fantastic show. It was like giving a starving man a Ritz cracker (my eternal thanks to Eddie Murphy go rent ‘Raw’ already!).Then there was Gyptian. The current ‘King Midas’ of cultural and lovers’ reggae absolutely tore up the stage! Everything this young Jamaican has touched over the last five years has turned to gold (hence King Midas Jimmy!), and that includes the Serious Times concert he thoroughly gilded this past weekend.Gyptian delivered stirring renditions of huge hits like ‘Is There a Place?’, ‘Mama Don’t Cry’, ‘Fadda Seh’, the beautiful ‘I Can Feel Your Pain’, the vulnerable ‘Butterflies’, and the sobering ‘Serious Times’.He jumped, gyrated, and gesticulated around the stage for a full hour before taking a brief break, giving the throng of fans every ounce of his irie energy, and oozing copious amounts of personality and charm throughout. It was quite noticeable that since this artist first came to these shores a few years back, he has more than honed his craft, and now boasts the stage presence of a seasoned veteran; simply class.Then, after a solid hour of sweat, seduction, and song, this guy brought out a fully authentic surprise act. I mean, no one expected this! The surprise act you ask? Ras Shiloh.Now Ras Shiloh is the kind of artist who packs quite a musical punch, and to have him dropped on us as a complete surprise was nothing short of exhilarating! Shiloh was awesome. He delivered a powerful rendition of his international super hit ‘Trodding’, an extensive Garnett Silk medley, and soul-shaking covers of Sam Cooke’s seminal masterpieces ‘Change Gon’ Come’, and ‘Chain Gang’. By the time Shiloh wrapped up his 20-or-so-minute set, the crowd was just about breathless. Wow, what a surprise!By now it was already well past 2am, and the only matter left to be addressed was the small issue of perhaps the biggest lovers’ rock anthems recorded in the new millennium. I speak, of course, of Gyptian’s own ‘Bring It On (Beautiful Lady)’, and ‘Hold You’. These mega-hits closed the show one after the other, leaving every single attendee fully sated.In the end, Etana was remembered, but not entirely missed, as this was a gem of a show without her. In fact, it can be suggested that her absence may have enhanced Gyptian’s performance. It certainly reshaped our collective memory of this event, and I doubt anyone in attendance can honestly say that is a bad thing.On top of the fact that Saturday night was an unqualified success, is the more than generous move by Just One Promotions to offer a trade in for Serious Times attendees. Ticket stub holders can trade in their stubs for fresh (and free!) tickets to the upcoming Serious Times 2: Conscious Daughters, featuring Etana. Part 2 lands on June 4, and if anything close to Part 1 is delivered, it will be fabulous!