It was a night of historic proportions as thousands converged on Sabina Park to celebrate three decades of Sizzla. The Sunday event delivered one extraordinary moment after another. The Rise to the Occasion tribute show provided a fitting tribute to one of Jamaica’s most prolific entertainers.
Setting a standard of professionalism that was expertly maintained all night, the performances stayed on time with the main attraction taking the stage around 10:00 pm.
In his opening act, Sizzla demonstrated precisely why he has been a dominant figure in entertainment for 30 years. Delivering signature tracks like For You, Jerusalem, Give Me A Try, and Black Woman and Child to the audience’s delight, they soon realised that this was only the beginning of a night never to be forgotten as he pulled from his vast catalogue.
And no one was left out, as among the features was a sign language interpreter to aid the hearing-impaired.
The singer then turned over the microphone to fellow musicians, among them Jesse Royal, Turbulence, I Wayne, Christopher Martin, Romain Virgo, and Iba Mahr. All honoured a man they admitted had a significant influence on their personal careers.
“Without a Sizzla you wouldn’t have a Turbulence, so Sizzla couldn’t keep this and me nuh deh yah,” declared Turbulence after energising the audience with tracks like Name and Number, Notorious, and We Got The Love.
Jesse Royal shared similar sentiments when he told the Jamaica Observer that, since his youthful days, Sizzla has been nothing short of an inspiration.
“To just be able to give him the love, respect, and honour that he deserves means so much to me,” he added. “Mi tell people all the time dat Sizzla make the most people ‘Ras up’ since Bob Marley. The work he’s done, not just musically but philanthropically, deserves the support.”
Jesse Royal delivered songs such as Sizzla’s Woman I Need You as well as his own hits, such as Modern Day Judas. He also invited Ras-I to the stage for a brief stint, in which the singer delivered Somewhere Wonderful and Kingman Ting before making way for I Wayne.
The Lava Ground singer blazed a hot trail, delivering hits such as Seeds I Sow, Book of Life, Touch Her Softly, and others in-between lauding Sizzla for his contributions to the entertainment fraternity.
As the acts took to the stage each paid their respects to the iconic entertainer. The slew of performers delivered for the patrons more than their money’s worth as artistes who were not even a part of the official line-up offered cameos.
Bugle, Fatan Mojah, Bascombe X, Etana, Nesbeth, Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer, and Beenie Man were among the special surprise guests.
Hailing Sizzla’s illustrious run, Bugle wished the entertainer another 30 years of success before seguing into his hit single, Journeys. He also delivered renditions of Sizzla’s Mama along with Don’t Blame Life and Pearly Gates.
Etana, another August Town success story, told the Observer she felt like a giddy teen as she stood beside Sizzla on stage.
“This is massive. It’s been 30 years for him and I am truly honoured to have been standing on the stage with him, knowing he inspired me along my own journey... I hope he continues and never stops,” she said.
Bounty Killer and Spragga Benz also delivered standout performances, each dishing out an undeniable level of authenticity unique to them.
Spragga Benz took the crowd on a nostalgic stroll down memory lane with songs such as Tiny Tot, She Nuh Ready Yet, Dolly House, and Things A Gwaan. Bounty Killer, seemingly performed as “Grung Gad”, powering through hits such as
Benz and Bimma, Stucky, Worthless Boy, and Look Into My Eyes, then contrasted as Rodney Pryce to deliver a Billy Ocean classic. He then served up songs such as Say You’re Leaving, Living Dangerously, and It’s OK.
But while Sizzla’s colleagues took the show to unimaginable levels, the night belonged to the man born Miguel Collins. Affectionately referred to as Dada, the August Town native returned to the stage at approximately 1:00 am to serve up even more hits. Sizzla brought the heat early Monday morning with stage-side pyrotechnics to boot. Patrons were treated to songs such as No Time To Gaze, Burn the Whole A Dem, Burning, Run Out Pan Dem, Babylon Ah Listen, and
Praise Ye Jah. With more than 70 released albums, the hits just kept coming as the entertainer delivered Holding Firm, Solid As A Rock, Got To Be Strong, Take Myself Away, and, of course, Rise to the Occasion to close the curtains on the event at minutes to 3:00 am.
He, however, spared a moment to invite one final special guest to seal the deal on an epic night of quality entertainment. Beenie Man shared the stage with Sizzla and Spragga Benz as he performed a few of his hits, including Wickedest Slam, Girls Dem Sugar, Dude, Rum and Redbull, Tear off Mi Garment, and others. The audience did not withhold appreciation.
