The 2012 instalment of ’Carnival Puntarenas,’ the third of the three ‘major’ festivals of the season in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, proved to be another spectacular affair for the more than 40,000 music lovers who converged for the beachside concert in the capital city to see Jamaican reggae star Ky-Mani Marley set the day to music.
When the young Marley, son of reggae icon Bob Marley, hit the stage backed by the band Konfrontation, excitement and pandemonium broke out in anticipation of the tasty musical treat that was to follow.
Marley blazed the stage for more than 120 minutes, delivering a dynamic litany of songs from his father’s repertoire, as well as some from his own catalogue.
The multi-talented singer proved his relevance with favourites like Iron Lion Zion, Is This Love, One Love, Get up Stand Up, No Woman No Cry, I Shot the Sheriff and originals like Who We Are, Rasta Love,Ska-Ba-Dar and Dear Dad - a song that pulls at the heartstrings of anybody who has lost a loved one.
exceeding expectations
Ky-Mani’s humble yet high-energy style of delivery demonstrated that it was really about the music and exceeding fans’ expectations. He was inundated with requests for autographs, and how he managed to sign them while performing is baffling. Pocketbooks and shirts were only a few of the articles patrons threw onstage for signatures.
Two encore performances later, the band was all set for shutdown. Ky-Mani, however, obliged fans with a third and final encore performance. When he segued into the reggae anthem One Love the sea of patrons appeared to be in a musical trance.
“The picturesque view of thousands singing all the songs word for word, knowing they neither spoke nor understood English, demonstrates one thing, that the universal language spoken today is the language of love,” Lexy Brooks of VIP Connected Entertainment said moments after Ky-Mani left the stage.
Marley, who is working on a new album, from which a single will be released this summer, is also making time for his latest project ‘Love Over All Foundation’ (L.O.A.F.), an organisation he is spearheading to assist his alma mata, Falmouth All-Age School, along with a number of schools in Jamaica.
“I am trying to assist kids in Jamaica who, though obviously eager to learn, don’t have many of the basic tools such as lunch money, school supplies, computers and desks. I have donated some of these items but would love to put a programme in place where the efforts are ongoing,” Marley explained.
Ky-Mani personifies the name Marley by continuing to maintain the highest professional standards through music and the love of his fellow man, something Bob would undoubtedly be proud of.
The Marley legacy clearly continues through his children
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