Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

At festival, influence of reggae’s Toots uncommon

The late Bob Marley is synonymous with reggae music, but the man who headlined Saturday's "Reggae in the Desert" festival might be its most important living figure.

Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, leader of legendary group Toots and the Maytals, has been a force in the genre for four decades. He even helped give it its name, penning the song "Do the Reggay" during the 1960s.

It's impossible to guess how many in the crowd of about 2,500 at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater knew much about Hibbert's historical significance. Most, it's safe to assume, showed up to laze on the lawn, soak up the gorgeous weather and relax with friends and family.

Whatever their motivation, those who turned out for the county's fourth annual reggae festival and stayed for its finale were treated to a spirited set by the latest installment of Jamaica's storied Maytals.

Taking the stage about 10:15 p.m., Hibbert and his band worked through some of their best-known material, including several songs re-recorded for last year's Grammy Award-winning album, "True Love."

The 58-year-old frontman appeared fit and full of fire as he led the Maytals through "Time Tuff," "Funky Kingston" and "Pressure Drop," classics off the group's seminal 1973 LP "Funky Kingston."

A bouncy cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was also memorable, as was Hibbert's duet with daughter Leba on "True Love is Hard to Find."

Holding his microphone farther away from his mouth than you'd have thought possible, Hibbert still easily projected his sometimes-soulful, sometimes-gritty voice.

He encouraged fans to join him for frequent call-and-responses, but, sadly, the returns were far from ear-splitting.

Though younger fans near the stage celebrated the Maytals' performance deliriously, the rest of the venue was at least half-empty by the time the band finished just after 11:30.

It wasn't all that surprising, considering the crowd included lots of families with young children, many of whom had been there since before 6 p.m. when the music started.

It might have made more sense to buck "headlining" tradition and put the Maytals on second-to-last, switching their time slot with that of Sister Carol, who went on 9 p.m. when the crowd seemed to be at its peak energy level.

Sister Carol's earthy, natural-woman-themed sounds lulled more than a few reggae fans to sleep on their picnic blankets, and her frequent social messages fell largely on deaf ears.

"Being a vegetarian makes you a better humanitarian," she announced at one point, prompting incredulous looks from dozens of fans chomping on barbecue from the event's ample vending area.

Stranger still was Sister Carol's ominous song about child safety. Those who came with kids probably weren't thrilled to have their tranquil evening disturbed by a vocalist cautioning about the dangers of "molesters and pedophiles" in her lyrics.

By contrast, veteran New York-based ska band the Toasters, who preceeded Sister Carol on the bill, managed to work political and social messages into their danceable music without being so heavy-handed.

The Toasters even sounded more organic than Sister Carol's backing band, utilizing real horn players rather than a synthesizer programmed to sound like a horn section.

After all that music, it was quite unexpected that the crowd sprung back to life for the Maytals' final tune, a funky, jammed-out take on "54-46 (That's My Number)."

Perhaps everyone realized a reggae giant such as Toots Hibbert deserved a proper send-off.

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