Beres Hammond brought the house down at Wednesday’s staging of Caribbean Love Now Jamathon. The reggae singer could do no wrong and got a standing ovation throughout his set as he thrilled a full house inside the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew. His fans could not contained their excitement as they took over each song he started, which included No Goodbye and She Loves Me Now.
“This is a rare opportunity. This is the first time I am seeing Beres perform and he sounds exactly like he does on record,” a female fan said to her friend before cheering wildly.
When he decided to end his brief set, the audience would not have it and chants of “Beres, Beres echoed throughout the building. When MC Tommy Cowan decided to continue with the show, the chants got louder as they demanded an encore, which left the organiser with no choice except to invite the Rockaway singer back to the stage.
Hammond continued for another five minutes with I Feel Good and Double Trouble.
Toots Hibbert also made a rare local appearance as he supported the charity event spearheaded by Josef Bogdanovich. His almost 10-minute performance comprised two of his biggest hits Bam Bam and 54-46 Was my Number.
Proceeds from the event will assist in bolstering relief efforts for the Caribbean islands ravaged by the recent passage of Hurricanes Maria and Irma. The latter, a Category Five hurricane, claimed at least 134 lives and caused US$62.87 billion in damage.
In addition to Beres Hammond and Toots Hibbert, Caribbean Love Now Concert featured an all-star cast which included: Agent Sasco, Beenie Man, Blvck H3ro, Bunji Garlin, Bunny Wailer, Carlene Davis, Chi-Ching Ching, Chino McGregor, Christopher Martin, D-Major, Devin Di Dakta, Etana, Fay-Ann Lyons,Freddie McGregor, Harry Toddler, Iba Mahr, Jah Cure, Jesse Royal, Kevin Downswell, Naomi Cowan, Nesbeth, Protoje, Sean Paul, Raging Fyah, Romain Virgo, Sizzla, Sean Paul, Stephen McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Third World, Bounty Killer, Tommy Lee Sparta, and Mr Vegas.
During the well-executed event, a number of individuals made their pledge or contributed cash towards the rebuilding of the ravaged Caribbean countries. Among them were Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange.
“The people in the Caribbean have been through real devastation. We are all one people, which means we should look out for each other. Give what you can and I personally would like to thank everyone who made a donation to the cause,” Holness said before making his pledge.
