Reggae guru Sean Paul hardly needs any introduction. His up beat, dance-hall rhythms often make perfect party music. The stage was set for an impeccable performance on Sunday evening with the singer dropping some of his hottest tunes.
Despite the remoteness of Manfo Grounds in Hebbal, the venue was well organised and there was huge levels of energy in the concert and plenty of space to dance and appreciate the rhythms.
By the time Sean Paul came on stage, anticipation and excitement was reaching boiling point. Rumours were starting to fly about him being unable or unwilling to perform.
This was probably a well calculated move by the seasoned performer and at 9pm as Sean Paul jumped on the stage to Gimme the Light, all hell broke loose. It was a great start that set the precedent for a great evening as Sean Paul took us on a tour of his five albums.
As expected, Get Busy was a massive hit and it was perfectly clear that Sean Paul had an excellent command of the concert, balancing the tempo of the songs and generating huge levels of enthusiasm across the arena.
It was a great concert right up until the end, when Sean Paul started playing PSY'S Gangam Style. Considering the popularity of the song in India, it was a very shrewd move. However, it was disappointing to see the singer resort to playing these one hit "chart bangerz". He has a huge musical base to draw upon and many found it difficult to understand why he would deviate from his reggae roots.
The conclusion was bitter-sweet, maybe even somewhat paradoxical. The fact that Sean Paul has to resort to playing overplayed pop songs shows a lack of musical integrity. This is a great shame considering the talent he possesses. Although Bangalore witnessed an excellent performance, many felt that the city was not given a true reggae experience.