Johnny Clarke lives up to his legend status and shakes the Estudio in São Paulo!

Expectations were high — after all, the headliner of the night was "only" one of the greatest names in world reggae from the 1970s, Jamaican Johnny Clarke. On the road since 1973, he forged a glorious partnership with Bunny Lee, with whom he released several of the most essential works in Jah's music. Clarke was also named Jamaica's best artist for two consecutive years, 1975 and 1976. Organized by You&Me on a Jamboree, the São Paulo venue Estudio, located in the vibrant Pinheiros neighborhood, was chosen to host this true spectacle, which also featured the excellent Leões de Israel as the backing band and Jurássico at the Sound System controls, warming up the receptive audience with an arsenal of hits.

THE SHOW

Around 1 in the morning, Leões de Israel launched into the traditional instrumental medley featuring snippets from the headliner's biggest career hits, sending the audience into a frenzy. A word of congratulations to the producers and sound professionals who delivered a sound that was heavy, imposing and superbly equalized. Then Johnny Clarke took the microphone, and the hits started rolling with "King of the Arena" and "Blood Dunza". Supremely energetic on stage, the master of the night captivated those present with plenty of dancing, crowd interaction and the famous "Rewinds" — when the artist abruptly stops the song, as if a mistake had occurred, only to restart it immediately after. On the topic of interaction, Leões de Israel themselves also deserve special mention — absurdly competent and performative, particularly led by bassist and co-leader Edu Sattajah. When "Every Knee Shall Bow" began, the sheer weight of the music gave goosebumps even to the least-informed person in the room, and without breaking the dense bass-heavy atmosphere, "Dance to the Music" and the classic "Declaration of Rights" — an original Abyssinians hit — kept the vibe soaring. "Left With A Broken Heart", "Don't Want To Be A Rudeboy" and "Roots Natty Congo" shook the foundations of the venue, setting the stage for another towering Clarke classic, "Babylon", produced by the legendary Jah Shaka. The powerful atmosphere of Johnny Clarke's discography appeals even to ears less familiar with traditional roots reggae — proof of this was seeing many people, apparently from other music tribes, completely absorbed in that imposing and psychedelic climate so characteristic of this Reggae Roots + DUB blend. "Come Back to Me" — another Clarke hit — preceded one of his greatest songs, "African Roots", which was followed by the beautiful "Stranger in Love", "Going to a Ball", "Gonna Love You More" and "Everyday Wondering". In the final stretch of the show, with some requests from the audience, Johnny Clarke performed "None Shall Escape The Judgement", a song that helped pave his solid career in the reggae world and stands as one of the first fruits of the acclaimed Clarke/Lee partnership. The performance closed with the classics "Enter Into His Gates" and "Move Out Of Babylon". The performance marked Johnny Clarke's return to Brazilian territory, though unfortunately this was his only appearance in São Paulo, making the initiative of You&Me all the more special. The audience is grateful! Bless!