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Old 12-26-2010, 01:42 PM   #7 (permalink)
Gavin B.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BernardYin View Post
Heck yeah!

Newbie here. I had the good fortune of seeing them when they provided the rhythm section for Black Uhuru. Black Uhuru was sharing the bill with King Sunny Ade. Crazy show (Greek Theater, Berkeley). Really one of the best shows I have ever seen. SF was in the midst of this "World Beat" craze but here came these two super real-deal artists (no disrespect intended to the SF bands of the era) and just blew everyone's minds.
I'm wondering if Black Uhuru or King Sunny opened the Greek Theater Show in Berkeley.

I saw King Sunny & Black Uhuru on that same 1984 tour in Boston. Black Uhuru opened the show and blew the roof off the Hynes Civic Center ballroom. I felt sorry for King Sunny because Black Uhuru played so well that his appearance as headliner was anti-climatic and about half the people took off during his first three songs.

It's a tradition of afro-beat bands to start up slowly and allow the drummers to establish a groove and weave their spell over the audience over the course of a very long evening of playing. King Sunny & Fela Kuti frequently played 5 or 6 hour performances in their native Africa, often with hour long jams. King Sunny's lower volume Afrobeat orchestra seemed tame after an hour and a half of Sly and Robbie's sledgehammer drum and bass riddims. The folks in the audience simply didn't have the patience to wait until King Sunny could fire up a groove.

The King Sunny/Black Uhuru tour was a great leap for international music. The only other reggae concert that drew a larger audience in Boston was Bob Marley's show at Harvard Stadium in 1979. I'm not sure if the King Sunny/Black Uhuru showcase was the best vehicle for King Sunny Ade to launch his first tour of North America. A lot of Boston reggae and afrobeat fans never forgot the drubbing King Sunny got from the opening act at the Hynes Civic Center.
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