Light it Up Tour

Last night was the first day of the Light it Up Tour featuring Cris Cab and New Kingston with Bermudian Collie Buddz as the headliner at the 9:30 Club in DC . It was beautiful to see the vast diversity of the audience awaiting a night of good music and good vibes. New Kingston started off the show. For those who are not familiar with this family band, they are a group of three brothers: Tahir, Courtney and Stephen as well as their father Courtney Sr. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. They blend reggae beats with hip hop and R&B vocals providing a unique sound that was fresh and engaging. Their performance was the highlight of the evening. Each brother has mastered their individual instrument and Tahir on the keyboard even did a reggae remix to Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Highlights of their performance were "Fly Away" and "Caribbean Queen." Music fans, keep your eyes open for these guys, they are definitely bringing back the good vibes of Bob Marley while keeping it fresh with their undeniable NY flavor. New Kingston

Cris Cab was the second act of the evening and I was confused by his presence. He was a talented performing artist, but only two of his songs or so were reggae. He had a great singing voice that was young and soulful, but it seemed pure R&B to me. His performance was out of place and the high energy and excitement that New Kingston had built was diminished with Cris Cab's set.

Collie Buddz blazed the stage close to 11PM and brought the house down. His incredible voice matched with his sweet charisma was alluring and invigorating. The herb definitely come around as throughout the whole performance, Collie hid his low eyes behind black shades. There wasn't a single sole in the room not swaying and circling their hips to some of his hit songs. New Kingston accompanied the Collie Buddz performance and they brought any energy lost back into the building. My favorite songs of the performance were "Come Around" and "Mamacita." Collie left the stage swiftly and was brought back by popular demand and did covers of classic reggae songs such as "Who am I?," "No Woman No Cry" and "Murder She Wrote."

I got to meet New Kingston and Collie Buddz after the show and all of the performers were incredibly humble and gracious. Taking time to greet, take pictures and sign autographs for each fan. I was most impressed by their authentic class and gratitude. This was just the beginning of the Light it Up Tour, they hit SOBs tonight and continue on to twenty nine other cities. If you're interested in getting tickets, I've got the link below.

Light it Up Tour