I?ll let you know right out the gate that the first act of the epic One Love Concert Series was nothing short of spectacular!

The vibes were nice from early, and the show flowed like milk and honey flows in Zion. I arrived at around 10.00 p.m. to find something like 100 people scattered sparsely across the vast concert ground; which was situated immediately south-west of Clearwater Beach (just behind the large parking lot).

There was a huge tent constructed, a ring of vendors surrounding the enclosure, and the sweet scent of clean ocean air about. The numbers were alarming, but the crowd would swell considerably over the next few hours. By Showtime (10.45 p.m.), the crowd was already approaching 1000, and by the time Sizzla took the stage at sometime around 2.00 a.m., the crowd was thick, hearty, and chock-full of Ital energy!

The crowd?s energy was generated from the start though, due in no small part to the excellent co-hosts: Keevil ?The Captain? Burgess and Sissy, who both created an air of excitement and anticipation that carried the show from start to finish.

After the MCs greeted the crowd, the imperious Souljah One sound system serenaded us with the latest and greatest Reggae music available on earth ? the vibes were nice!

The first act to grace the stage on Saturday night was the venerable Ras Giorgis. Giorgis blessed the appreciative crowd with acoustic renditions of the Bob Marley and the Wailers classics ?Jah Live? and ?Equal Rights? before he closed his 15 minute set to unanimous accolades.

The next act was very interesting indeed. There were two girls at first; both about 10 years old, wearing light green leotards, and reciting an marvelous poem about the power of the youth to achieve what they will (I tried to get the title but no one seemed to know it).

Then there was another 10 or so girls; all around the same age, wearing black leotards and dancing in unison with the first two. It was awesome! The group was called The Unforgettables, and I?m pretty sure that no one who witnessed their performance on Saturday night will be forgetting them any time soon (I know I won?t!).

The live band that was so aggressively advertised on the concert posters took the stage at 10 to midnight, and immediately impressed with their mastery of the staple ?riddims? that make up the pantheon of modern Reggae music.

They are called the Step-by-Step band, and the first act to perform in front of them was the hardcore rap outfit called Loc-Tight. There were mic problems, thematic issues, and questions of ambience that conspired to make Loc-Tight a decidedly unimpressive inclusion here. They?d probably be perfect opening for 50 Cent ? not so much Sizzla.

Now if you want a local act that is perfect to open for Sizzla, you should call Fires of Africa! The good people at Startime Productions did their homework and made that call, and Fires of Africa raised the roof off the tent that night! Lead singer Truneh pranced around the stage in a purple satin cape, looking more like a King addressing his people than an entertainer; but entertain he did, delivering heartical original tunes like ?Listen? and the majestic ?King Salassie? with style and grace. Long time collaborator Tiny T also delivered an exceptional performance, fronting her group of dancers with frenetic energy and a razor sharp wit, and inciting more than a little excitement in the now quite large crowd. This show was already one to remember! Corvan Melody was the next in a long line of brilliant local performers. The veteran crooner blessed us with stunning renditions of ?Meaning of Life,? ?War is Out There,? and ?Clubbin? (all original pieces), and received a trailer-load of ?Big Ups? along the way. Corvan was very impressive indeed.

Ninja Cutty and Star 45 were the last local acts to perform on Saturday night. Cutty was perhaps the most well received local all night. His Dancehall style and lyrically potent pieces were nothing short of piercing and irresistible.

The crowd was helpless to resist. Oh, and his showmanship was off the meter! The first piece he delivered was called ?Gombey (Dancing Continues)? and he had actual Gombeys on stage dancing with him. He also had a Gombey whip so that he could ?Whip Babylon?.

Then there was E-Levels, the dancer who wiggled around the stage like an elastic band, pulling oohs and aahs out of the audience like dentists pull bad teeth! Cutty also invited newcomers Splinter Demus and Hype-Type to share the stage with him, giving them a taste of the adoration the crowd was pouring on him. On all accounts, this was a special performance. Star 45 also held his head up high, delivering fine renditions of ?I Cry? and ?Pressure? to the vastly appreciative crowd.

The next 40 or so minutes were occupied by Jamaican Selectah King Tafari, as he juggled big tune after big tune, keeping the vibes nice and the crowd feeling Irie. Joseph Shepherd opened for Sizzla at something to 2.00 a.m., prepping the crowd for what would be an explosive performance by the most prolific hit-maker in Reggae music today. And now ? Sizzla! The energy was ridiculous from the first note. Lighters filled the night sky, flags waved, ?forwards? uttered, ladies fainted ? (ok, no ladies fainted, but the scene was off the chain!). Mr. Kalonji breezed through classic hits like the beautiful ?Holding Firm,? the magnificent ?Words of Divine,? and the righteous ?Praise Ye Jah? before releasing the colossal recent hits like ?Solid As A Rock,? and the ubiquitous ?Dry Cry (Just One Of Those Days)?. The audience absolutely devoured every second of this performance, savoring every morsel like it just might be their last, and when the opening chords of ?Woman I Need You? emanated from the speakers ? it was over! The crowd reached boiling point. But it wasn?t over. There was still the superb ?Give Me A Try,? the fabulous ?Rise To The Occaision,? the massive ?Come Fly With Me,? and the excellent ?I?m With the Girls? (both of the latter tunes were encores). What a show! I couldn?t help but notice on the night that this performance was more sexually charged than his last one here (which was some years ago), but the crowd loved every minute of it, and frankly, so did I.

I could complain that he didn?t perform favourites like ?Black Woman and Child,? ?Be Strong,? and the absolutely gorgeous ?Thank You Mama,? but complaining never solves anything. Besides, this was an outstanding performance, and an amazing start for Spanish Town and Startime Productions.

The One Love Concert Series promises to be a sure shot every time people! Make sure you don?t miss Wayne Wonder at Clearwater on Saturday, 13th May (go to the shop and get your tickets right now!).

I was able to get back stage and talk to Mr. Kalonji before I left the concert on Saturday night. I asked him if he had any words of divine for the youth of Bermuda, and he said ?Pay attention, stay in school, and get a good education, because life out here is hard!?

Now maybe they?ll believe me when I tell them that everyday. Thanks for an outstanding show Sizzla; come back anytime.