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. ([More →])

It’s been a long time dream of mine to see Pato Banton in concert. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love Pato’s collaborations with Mad Professor (Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton and Mad Professor Recaptures Pato Banton), but it’s a Big Big Love and Respect. So, when I discovered he would be playing in SF in September, I immediately bought tickets. That’s right, I supported the hard-working bands instead of using my press connections to gain free entry. Jammin to Pato Banton backed by Mystic Roots was worth more than the depreciated american dollars that I spent on tix! It’s been over 20 years since he released his first album with Mad Professor at the controls, yet it’s still one of my favorite albums. I had no idea what to expect from the show, I just wanted to see this reggae idol up close and personal. My giddy excitement tripled within 5 minutes of Pato Banton grabbing the mic! ([More →])

I don’t have a full concert review to share just yet, but I wanted to give you a glimpse at what happened last night when Pato Banton came to town. He performed at the Independent, with the Mystic Roots as backup. He had just launched into his biggest hit song - “Gwarn” when he noticed a guy in the audience wearing a GWARN T-shirt. He pulled that guy up on stage and the two of them ended up doing the most ridiculous duet I have ever seen! Pato swears it wasn’t rigged and you could see the genuine surprise on his face when this guy, Frank, busts out. ([More →])