Concert review of Eek-A-Mouse and Pato Banton at the Independent In San Francisco: Sunday January 13th 2008.
What joy to see Eek-A-Mouse and Pato Banton both in one magical night! Pato Banton is a spritely man who seems possessed by the music at times and lights up an entire city when he smiles. Eek-A-Mouse is larger than life with a subtle flair and he fills the stage as he sings and waves to people in the crowd. Both are huge crowd-pleasers – each interacts with the audience and encourages an irie atmosphere. Both singers pulled people out of the crowd to join them on stage – Pato pulled someone from the crowd to perform “King Step” with him, while Eek-A-Mouse pulled lots of people on stage to dance to “Border Patrol.” But that’s where the similarities end. From their backing bands to their backgrounds, these two reggae artists are worlds apart. The overall experience satiated every hope and expectation from a reggae show.
Click on photo to start the slideshow:
Pato Banton
If you read my previous concert review of Pato Banton and the Mystic Roots in SF last year you probably already know I adore Pato. He’s one of my favorite performers in this world and his recordings have followed me everywhere in this life. His entire being is radiant and uplifting; after being in the room with Pato, I feel as if my soul has been to a spa. The Mystic Roots still rock; they looked more relaxed and played more confidently after touring with Pato for the last few months. Their jams were tight while the vibe was loose and fun. Pato is a freak on stage and these guys amplify his youthful antics. From role-playing during “Gwarn” to the silly pose they struck when their set was finished, these youth complement Pato’s exuberance and carefree sound. At first I wondered why Pato did not have a traditional roots reggae band, but now I can see that Pato is too hip, too upbeat to be chatting over the smooth sounds of soul survivors. Pato easily raps over anything they throw in the mix: saxophone battles, beatboxing, accapella-dj-scratching, or classic ska horns, drums and bass. For some excellent examples, click over to the 2007 Pato Banton concert review and check out the videos (“Legalize It” beatboxing sesh & “Gwarn”). Also, it just happened to be Jason’s birthday on this night and apparently he spotted Pato outside the club before the concert. Jason told Pato that it was his b-day and that he had been a BIG FAN for 20 years! Pato admitted this made him feel old, but that didn’t stop him from getting Jason up on stage to help him with “King Step”! You can see the video of Jason’s dream birthday gift on HearingTest’s video channel on Dailymotion (along with other great concert vids).
There is something so timeless and ageless about Pato Banton, he never stops growing and never grows up!
Towards the end of his performance, Pato revealed some very BIG news and gave us a sneak preview of the new material he’s working on. Pato said that he is recording his “last album” which will feature a new version of his legendary “My Opinion” tune. The new tune will be called “My Opinion Part 3″ and will be part of a new album titled Destination Paradise. I was a bit too stunned to hit record when he started singing the new song, but it’s ok because I don’t want to “leak” his new song. I did manage to record the second half of the song, so here is a sneak peek of “My Opinion Part 3″:
Pato Banton Live In SF – “My Opinion Part 3″
I heard him sing “My Opinion” last time he came through SF – it was no where near as emotional and gripping as this performance turned out to be. Did you see how he was overcome with the energy of it and starting wailing like Bob Marley used to do? It gives me chills every time I watch this video!
DJ Stepwise smoothed the transition between these 2 reggae titans with some fine selections of rub-a-dub and dancehall hits. The DJ at the Independent is hidden up in the balcony, so I included a pic of him in the mix. It’s pretty grainy due to the darkness up there, but at least it provides a face for the disembodied voice on the mic…
Eek-A-Mouse Is Larger In Life
Eek-A-Mouse has a commanding presence when he takes the stage. His large stature (which is even taller in person!) and piercing eyes demand your full attention. His voice is much deeper and stronger sounding now than it was in his early years, when songs like “Wah Do Dem” and “Border Patrol” first became hits. After hearing him sing live, his recorded voice sounds adolescent, but the changes haven’t hurt his skat skills in the slightest. If anything, those skills are more honed to sonic perfection after many years of rolling off his tongue. His voice has become sultry and more sure of its message.
Both Eek-A-Mouse and Pato Banton went to great lengths to engage the audience – shaking hands, passing the mic to people up front, and rounds of call-and-response. Eek-A-Mouse took it a step further during “Border Patrol”:
Eek-A-Mouse Pulls Audience Up on Stage During “Border Patrol” Pt.1
Eek-A-Mouse Pulls Audience Up On Stage During “Border Patrol” Pt.2
By this point, the Mouse pretty much had the entire audience in the palm of his hand. They’d handed him gifts of Cali’s finest, danced on stage with him, and sang along all night. At the end of the show, Eek-A-Mouse was called back to the stage for an encore (after donning a fresh shirt backstage) by an audience that wouldn’t stop singing! He proceeded with an easy call-and-response about how much everyone loves ganja. He put the crowd to the test with one of his signature tongue twists and the people of SF responded adeptly! Check it:
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Eek – A Man Of Style
On a stylish note, I have to compliment Eek-A-Mouse for sportin some major *bling* on his left hand. He wore a ring with a giant stone (which looked pink in the light, but everything looked pink in that light). He seemed to wave it in the air like a magic wand all night which gave him a little extra flair…
And you know what Elephant Man says about ragamuffins with bling. (Hint: “I do not sniff the coke, I only smoke!”)
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