Not even the rain stopped the action at Praça do Jaçanã during the 1st AçãoReggae & Surforeggae Festival!

Nobody can stop Reggae, especially when it has such a noble purpose as AçãoReggae. This charitable project has the simple and clear function of bringing entertainment while collecting food and clothing for low-income neighborhoods in greater São Paulo. After the chaos of April 25 with CET officials (see article on the subject), the event took place on May 30 at Praça do Jaçanã. Scheduled to begin at 14:00, the audience seemed shy and in very reduced numbers, perhaps due to the cancellation on the first occasion. The band Cofre Galactico Dub could not attend, but was aptly replaced by Alma Zion. A few minutes to adjust the sound and the heavy tunes begin. They start right off with Peter Tosh. Next, an original song from the album "Distante da Babilônia" called "Don´t Cry". During that one they even threw in some bits of Max Romeo's "One Step Foward". To sing "Jamaican Colors", Nell, vocalist of AntiBabylon and DubPlate, climbs onto the stage. Then, with a special appearance by Ras Ricardo on backing vocals, a version of the Twinkle Brothers' "Since I Throw the Comb Away" called "Eu Joguei meu Pente Fora" gets the crowd going that was starting to show up at the square. Thiago Bing Dread, vocalist of AntiBabylon, sings the song "Revolução" with Giraffha, from Alma Zion. The band closes with Dennis Brown's "Rasta Children". During the band change, the DJ set was top-notch, and the crowd enjoyed the sounds of Israel Vibration, LKJ, Ponto de Equilíbrio, etc. A funny scene was a drunk man dancing peacefully in the rain to "Fight to Survive". Let's just say you don't even need to be drunk to go wild over that track. The weather decided to turn completely, and a light drizzle combined with a thick dark cloud announced the heavy rain that was on its way. "The show must go on", as the song says, and Jai Mahal & Pacíficos da Ilha prepare for their performance. They start at full strength, and "Get up Stand Up" is chosen for the welcome. The band brought their hit, "Homem Invisível" and many other heavy tracks. Unfortunately, the rain, also "heavy", peaked right during this performance. The set list was shortened so everyone could play, and they quickly closed with Bob Marley to the delight of the crowd that, incredibly, grew even with the rain. Now it was Dub Plate's turn, but since the band uses electronic equipment in their music, exposure to the rain that kept falling could damage it. They thus decided not to play and gave their slot to the last band on the bill. Killaman & Roots Controllers quickly take the stage to close out Jaçanã's reggae night. Led by Marcio Diniz, keyboardist and vocalist of Mystical Roots, this band has only been together for 6 months. With competent musicians from various parts of São Paulo, the band played only original songs that, with absolute certainty, every person who attended the square would want some recording of those heavy tunes. The band is new, so stay tuned for their upcoming shows to check out Killaman's work. For those who don't know them yet, they're missing out on a lot. The bass and guitar lines were perfect and the drums have the punch of authentic Roots Rock Reggae. A clear example in the song "Comunidade". We on the team will research more about Killaman so everyone can access this new force in national reggae. At the end of the event, the rain stopped, the crowd was present and reggae, combined with great attitudes from organizers and the public, proved stronger than ever, in all its forms.

EVENT IMAGES

Click here and check out the photos from this event.