A mágica and a energia de Alpha Blondy in the Audio Club! Saiba tudo o que rolou in the show in SP!

On May 14, Audio Club — a São Paulo venue — hosted a lineup of note. OBMJ (Orquestra Brasileira de Música Jamaicana), the British Mark Kelly, and the legendary Ivorian prince Alpha Blondy.

OBMJ

With a solid crowd already in place for the opening acts, Audio Club turned into a true party to the sound of OBMJ and its full arsenal of horns and classics. The set ran from "Pica-Pau Amarelo" and "Mamãe eu Quero" to Zé Ramalho's "Frevo Mulher" and Luiz Gonzaga's "Pagode Russo", but Jorge Ben's energetic "País Tropical" stole the show. Beyond exceptional instrumental quality, the OBMJ members put on a show of their own with charm and synchronized dance moves. If the idea was to warm up the crowd for the night's headliner, they succeeded handsomely.

MARK KELLY

As the venue filled minute by minute and anticipation built for Alpha Blondy's show, Mark Kelly — a peculiar and performative British artist — quickly captured the crowd's attention with his unpretentious, high-quality sound. Backed only by voice and guitar, Mark had his charming, gallant moment. He stopped a song midway for a few compliments and took a woman's hand in the audience. At the end of the song he knelt down and kissed her.

ALPHA BLONDY

By then Audio Club was packed — floor and VIP boxes alike — all there to honor yet another powerhouse show from a man considered a living legend of reggae. Alpha Blondy took the stage at 1:40 a.m., and as tradition dictates, opened his spectacle with a crushing instrumental that preceded one of his greatest classics, "Jerusalem". With his well-known warmth, Alpha Blondy makes a point of getting close to the audience at the edge of the stage, sending the house into genuine ecstasy. Worth noting the exceptional sound quality at Audio Club, where every instrumental detail came through with imposing, crystal clarity. Alpha spoke briefly about Islam and terrorism, saying that not all followers are violent. We can talk about God and love without necessarily drawing blood...". Those words preceded "Allah Tano", a heavyweight song from the new album "Positive Energy". Although this was the tour promoting the record, the setlist leaned on the singer's unforgettable classics, such as "Cocody Rock", "Politiki", "Sweet Fanta Diallo" and "Peace in Liberia" — in the last of which Alpha called for peace in countries including Somalia, Nigeria, Syria, Libya, Congo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel and Palestine, and even Brazil. King Bob Marley was honored with a spine-tingling DUB, and the legendary rock band Pink Floyd was remembered with "Wish You Were Here", sending the crowd into cheers and sing-alongs. It was already past 3 a.m. when the powerful "Brigadier Sabari" closed out yet another great performance by Prince Alpha Blondy. The legend plays tonight, May 15, at Music hall in Belo Horizonte (MG), then heads to Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and returns to São Paulo for Virada Cultural. See below and don't miss it!

ALPHA BLONDY IN RS

21/05: Auditório Araujo Viana - (Porto Alegre) Opening: Mark Kelly + band TBC Rating: 16+

ALPHA BLONDY IN RJ

22/05: Circo Voador - Rio de Janeiro Opening: Mark Kelly, Dub Ataque and DJ Calbuque Rating: 18+ Capacity 2,000 people

ALPHA BLONDY AT VIRADA

23/05: Virada Cultural Paulista Parque Vitória Régia - Bauru 24/05: Virada Cultural Paulista Limeira