Oy ve.
Under some heavily external influences, I am being forced to bring you guys up to speed on my situation.
Truth be told, my right ankle is still recovering from the Jamboree/Carnival adventure. I just bought Jr. Gong's Welcome to Jamrock album, and still haven't listened to it yet. My overall frustration with the Tammy situation has gotten me pissed.
But all in all, I'm still healthy. And that's always good...

Revolution
Dennis Brown

Bret Hart on DVD
So I'll have to wait until November to enjoy the memories of the Hitman. But it'll be worth the wait. Did I actually get a series of matches I'd like to see?? You bet I did! And they are:
Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage (SNME)
Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs (SNME; 2/3 falls match)
Bret Hart vs Dynamite Kid (Wrestling Challenge)
vs Ted DiBiase (SNME)
vs Mr. Perfect (SummerSlam '91)
Hart Foundation vs Demolition (SummerSlam '90; 2/3 falls)
vs. Brain Busters (SummerSlam '89)
Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (SummerSlam '92)
vs. Ric Flair (1st world title)
vs. Shawn Michaels (IC title ladder match)
vs. Shawn Michaels (Iron Man Match; WM12)
vs. Owen Hart (Steel Cage; SummerSlam '94)
vs. Owen Hart (WM10)
vs. Yokozuna (WM10)
vs. British Bulldog (IYH December '95)
vs. Diesel (Survivor Series '95)
vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series '96)
vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series '97)
vs. Undertaker (SummerSlam '97)
vs. Steve Austin (WM13)
Final Four Match for WWE Title (IYH)
vs. Chris Benoit (World Title tournament)
vs. Chris Benoit (Owen Hart Memorial)
vs. The Rockers (the dark match where supposedly, the Rockers won the belts)
vs. Owen Hart (the dark match where supposedly, in a lumberjack match, Owen wins the belt)
vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper (WM8)

...and that's just for starters.


Irie Jamboree III

Ah, what a day!
That was the time of my life, if I do say so myself. Steve and I had contemplated going this year since Reggae CariFest. Seeing that we were screwed at Carifest, and at last year's Jamboree of the big acts, we had second thoughts about forking $45 to go this year. I don't know what eventually made up Steve's mind, but I told myself that last year is behind me, and this year was going to different.
Boy, did I hit it on the money!
The highlights:

I didn't actually get there until about 2:30PM that Sunday. I made friends with this cab driver from around my way, and since he drops me at work when I miss the bus for $8, we formed a little coup de tat, agreed to meet at 12:30, and make it for the show at 1PM. I didn't leave my crib until 1PM, and he didn't get his ticket yet. So, 2:30PM, there we were, checking out kingfish, fried plantains, and pina colada. Then all of a sudden, they announce:
Kiprich
Pretty good pop. I remember him from Cut Him Off from the Jungle Riddim, and he brought that back! Telephone Ting played, decent applause. Cool; not on fyah, but cool.
Sanchez
Sorry, Mr James Todd Smith. But Ladies Love Sanchez. Great pop from crowd, as he belted all the great old hits, all with the exception of Lonliness. Then he took the congregation to church, with some of his gospel hits. Praise Him, Frenzy, and a few other tracks came on. Came back for an encore song for the Hurricane Katrina fallen. Outstanding performance.
Band change. Father Bogle dedication came next with these dancers. Not a bad presentation...
Still changin' the damn band. These things take way too long at times. No matter, Irie Jamboree promised a surprise, which turned out to be...
Macka Diamond
Good "suprised to see you here" pop. Her Tekk Cunt track got some good vibes. And apparently, she's got beef with the Twin of Twins, because she had a return track for them, talking about pussy ain't cheap. Ehh, not my cup of tea, but it's welcome as a surprise.
Wait, on with the show. Now, I was just treated to Sanchez. Could the ONE I've been waiting for finally be next? It...
is...
Barrington Levy
OH HELL YEAH!! Much like the Smooth Jazz concert with Al Jarreau, there wasn't one track he did that I didn't know. Crowd reacted to him okay; but a bunch of us who remembered Black Roses, Here I Come, and Murderer were scatting with the guy. I don't care how biased this sounds, it was the most energizing performance for the day. Now, I can move on.
Another damn band change. Wait, another surprise? Why not!! And it is...
Twin of Twins
Nice comedy duo, who heard Macka's response to them. And they had a response to that response. Unfortunately I caught on to this late, so I can only appreciate the humor, and not the background of this little skit.
The show moves on. 5th Element sounds is on the stage. That could only mean one thing:
Richie Spice
Earth a Run Red!! Marijuana! Ahh, that's Richie Spice! I almost forgot, even though I heard these tracks sooooo many times before. Weed smokers gave him a great pop. Performed all his popular hits. Decent performance, though I'll get lost deliberatly 'cause I'm not a weed smoker...
Another band change. Shit. This takes up too much time.
Unique Dancers dance on stage. But one little kid caught our attention:



His name is BJ. Eight years old I believe. Sister or cousins taught him dancehall. Already, Ele was calling him Bogle: The Next Generation. Let's hope so.

Jabba comes next, to remind the crowd to bun down Bush!! Like these band changes, he took too damn long to respond!! It is a national shame that we couldn't help New Orleans sooner. But you know what, y'all jabronies put him back in office; not me. So, who does Jabba bring out?

Elephant Man
HOLY SHIT!! HE ACTUALLY CAME TO JAMBOREE!!!
Yup, the entire audience was stunned he came. We were expecting an excuse, another surprise, anything but what we paid $45 to see. Needless to say, he got THE HUGEST POP OF THE NIGHT!! Beenie Man might have rivaled it, but the energy Ele brought couldn't be matched. He played all his hits, danced all his dances, jumped on speakers, wined on big-backed chicks; all while donning an indian costume. He is da Man.
Assassin, whose album also dropped this Tuesday, came with his tracks. Back to Ele. BJ comes back and dances with the Energy God. Great stuff, good times. Bad Man A Bad Man was his closing track I believe. Ahh man, he had the best show on Jamboree. These cats have officially earned my $45.
Another Band change. Whoa! There's more!? They said he was coming, he's here. Yes Moses!!
Beenie Man
The second hugest pop of the night. King Of The Dancehall was on. Dude got the ladies going, while he teased Dick. Went back in time to some his classic tunes. His performance would have been off da hook if he & Ele shared the stage, or if he and Barrington Levy did Murderer. But what can you do, especially if you only paid $45. Great performance.
My legs are wearing out. And I got Carnival the next day! And just what I needed, another band change.
No big suprises now. Just a bunch of credits. And on we go to:
Sizzla Kolonge
Sorry Vee. But the pictures I took don't do him any justice. Fourth largest pop of the night. Rise to the Occasion. Just One of Those Days. Be Strong. Roots fans got into him halfway through his performance as the dancehall fans cleared the way. Junior Gong fans crept their way to the front during his performance. It wasn't bad; I really did like his vibes; but there was too much movement to enjoy it.
Showtime! After these commercials and band change. I figured, since I saw Junior Gong at BB King's, I don't need to see him again! Under Steve's influence, I decided to stay.
Damian "Junior Gong" Marley
Same entourage. Same songs and intros as his BB Kings performance. From his duets with Stephen Marley, right down to his encore track Welcome To Jamrock. While nothing new, the vibes his fans gave him rubbed off on me. Next thing, I was dancing and chilling with this rasta girl. Good times.


All in all, MUCH MUCH better than last year's Irie Jamboree. I was very impressed that they got all the acts to perform. Even more impressed by the fact Ele came through. Barrington Levy's performance and Ele's performance remain my favourites.
Rating: 10 out of 10

More later...