The day between crucifixion and resurrection was a strange one for me. I watched two exhilarating games on the road to the Final Four, had a relatively pleasant encounter with young P.c. Justin Raynor, whose tact and demeanour were excellent (although mine could have been better) and finally arrived at a concert that dragged and stumbled at times, but ended with majesty and eternal redemption.

I arrived at the beautifully furnished Gombeys on Clearwater Beach sometime around 11.00 p.m. (later than expected, but you can?t plan for everything Gunther).

Big white tents protected the stage and the fans who just had to be close to the action, food stalls lined the perimeter and the bar at the back bustled like a busy bee hive.

The scene was populated by something in excess of 2,000 characters, but there was only one star, and he played his role to devastating effect!

Nadanja warmed us up with some comedy infused Reggae stylings, Amerie came on after a long intermission and delivered her hits (?Why Don?t We Fall In Love,? ?Talking To Me? and the current smash ?One Thing?) and then, we waited.

Amerie was received well, dealt with technical difficulties admirably and looked so good I was tempted to go backstage and ask her why don?t we fall in love... then I figured she?d probably heard that line about a million times since she dropped that gem a few years back.

Oh well, at least I got to look at her for half an hour (sigh).

The Harmony House Band took the stage at around half past midnight and the massive crowd of weary Reggae lovers came instantly alive. The band warmed up for about half an hour, and, by the time Beres hit the stage, the excitement was palpable.

Mr. Hammond hit the stage uttering ?This is no disrespect/no disrespect ?? and the crowd exploded.

The instantly recognisable opening lines of the magnificent ?Step Aside? never sounded so good.

It was like all the long intermissions and technical difficulties had gotten together and conspired to make this set as spectacular as possible; and believe you me, it was spectacular! Classics like ?What One Dance Can Do,? ?She Loves Me Now,? ?Can?t Stop A Man,? ?Falling In Love All Over Again? and the sugar sweet ?Come Back Home? flowed out of the massive speakers like milk and honey flows from stones in Zion.

Beres paid tribute to the late great Garnett Silk with a heartfelt rendition of ?Hello Mama Africa? and delivered a very competent Buju Banton on the brilliant ?Who Say? (one of many moments that sent the crowd into a frenzy of air horns, pull-ups and fire lights).

?Tempted to Touch,? ?Double Trouble? and the absolutely magnificent ?Putting Up Resistance? followed in suit, keeping the frenzy full and fabulous.

This concert was becoming exhausting!

Practically every song Beres sang on Saturday night was a highlight.

The man has such an outstanding catalogue of material that every single song was recognised immediately and celebrated accordingly from opening note to stunning closing refrain.

Pieces like the marvelous ?Warriors Don?t Cry,? the gorgeous ?No Disturb Sign,? the sentimental ?Love Means Never To Say You?re Sorry,? the insightful ?They Gonna Talk? and the glorious ?Rockaway? found large chunks of the massive crowd singing every word.

I will stop just short of naming every single song Beres delivered on Saturday night, but I will tell you that every note that came out of his throat was like pure spun gold.

He left out a few favourites like ?Full Attention,? ?Doctors Orders? and ?My Wish,? but that is nothing to complain about.This performance was worth every minute of the wait and every penny of the price.

Then there was the decidedly exhilarating finale. Beres opened with the familiar lyrics to the massive ?Giving Thanks? and gradually worked the fantastic Harmony House Band into a mountain of sound and power, which blasted the night sky and the thoroughly satiated crowd into submission.

There was no encore. None was needed.

The set was all of 90 minutes long and will be remembered as one of the absolute best performances ever delivered on local soil. Beres Hammond is a super hero.

His power? Moving hearts and soothing minds.

Nicely done Palm Rock, let?s keep the ball rolling in 2005.