HEAVY traffic and two brief episodes of rainfall were not enough to deter reggae lovers from getting ‘intimate’ at the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St Ann on Monday night.

The concert, scheduled to begin promptly at 7:00 pm and end at midnight, ran until sometime after 4:00 am, but this didn’t seem to bother fans of Buju Banton and Beres Hammond. In fact, a section of the audience travelled from the diaspora to witness the two living legends in their element and set the tone for a new year.

Hammond touched the stage at 1:27 am decked out in a full suit of white. The 67-year-old displayed incomparable stamina and vocal range for more than 90 minutes, leaving a patron exclaiming, “Him not even tek a sip ah wata an’ him a perform suh long. Wow!”

Vuvuzelas, screams and sing-alongs were the order of business as he effortlessly rendered Double Trouble, She Loves Me Now, No Disrespect, No Goodbyes as well as Pull It Up and Falling In Love All Over Again alongside his co-headliner. Hammond’s new-found protégée Popcaan also joined him to perform God is Love. In Unruly Boss’ words, “Any time yuh call mi, anyting mi ah do, mi drop it and pull up like a song.”

As for Hammond, he reiterated the importance of dedicating his all to his performance for the occasion.

“As we said, it is supposed to be a very intimate occasion. I’m supposed to give you all that I have, and all that I am,” the veteran artiste expressed to his adoring audience.

Patrons were also given a peek into Hammond’s dancing skills, which complemented his lovers’ rock themed delivery. To his delight, he was given a rose by a fan, and tried as best as possible to mingle with those who had forced their way to the base of the stage.

Buju Banton was not given a formal introduction, instead his set followed immediately after Hammond’s. As soon as ‘The Gargamel’ appeared in a red-orange suit, accentuated by a white inside shirt, showers of blessings resumed. But, the sweet sound of Not An Easy Road, Close One Yesterday, Destiny, Wanna Be Loved and Driver A was not enough to distract the crowd from whichever other plans Mother Nature had.

“I like this vibe…Thank you, Jamaica. We wanna thank everybody from Kingston to St Elizabeth to St Ann, to Negril…we love you. Welcome to Intimate,” the deejay said, also acknowledging supporters from New York, Miami, California, Washington, DC, and England.

His more than two-hour performance saw daybreak, but not before they (the headliners) were presented with Living Legend Awards, courtesy of Red Stripe. Marcia Griffiths also received an award.

As for her performance, the traffic caused her to arrive at the show late, but the ‘Reggae Queen’ was not to be outdone. The highlight of her set was performance of the Electric Slide dance with fans on stage.

Reggae singer Tarrus Riley had fans in awe when he introduced his 12-year-old guitarist son, “Mekiem”, while he performed a cover of Maroon 5’s Memories and the original single Corner.

Lovers rock group L.U.S.T also delivered in the showcase with favourites like Just As I Am, Run Free and You’re My Inspiration.

D’Yani, Mitch Di Singa, Nitty Kutchie and Medison also graced the stage.