The concert was held in Roy Wilkins Park in New York City on July 1, 2012. The buzz around town was that people were calling this concert, “The Reggae R&B concert of 2012.” The fans were rocking with excitement to the sounds of Reggae Rhythm and Blues. Groovin in the Park lived up to the expectation of the people. The promotion leading up to the concert was very impressive. According to Bullzii Marketing and Promotion CEO Andrea Bullens, fans and concert goers turned out in record numbers with an estimated fifteen thousand people in attendance. The family friendly concert was great news for many families, Greg and Neecy came out with their family. They described the event by saying, “This was a multi-cultural concert, bringing mega stars and different cultures together in unity.”
The description was quite fitting as the “Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight along with “Boys 11 Men” shared the stage with “Reggae Icon” Dr. Jimmy Cliff, “King of Lovers Rock Beres Hammond and “King of the Dancehall” Beenie Man. The show opened with” Boys 11 Men singing in perfect harmony then Jimmy Cliff followed in iconic fashion leading the crowd with some of the latest dance moves. Next up, was Beenie Man who was visibly happy to be a part of this mega star line-up. As the dancehall king performed his up tempo hits in the soaring upper 90s heat, his likable personality warmed the hearts of the audience as they dance and sing along. Concert goers were even more impressed with Beenie Man as he stayed to watch Beres Hammond full performance, dancing along to his hits.
Beres Hammond was silky smooth as ever, as he sang one hit song after another and watching the ladies going wild. The estimated fifteen thousand people jumped and “Rockaway” as titled in one of his hit song. As people simply put it, “Beres is the Boss.” The show closed with the Empress of Soul Gladys Knight and what a performance it was. Gladys’ immediately took charge, her band was well coordinated in matching outfits and her talented backup singers complemented her every move. As an added bonus, Gladys brought out her brother Bubba to sing a few songs. Overall, the show was a great success and all the performers delivered in fine style.
As CEO of “Groovin Inc”, Christopher Roberts was quoted, “I am confident they will deliver a spectacular performance for music lovers.” Yet, while the promoters were overwhelmed with the turnout, they were the first to point out that there were things they could have done better and will address for future concerts. Yes, Mr. Roberts was absolutely correct. Groovin in the Park turned out fabulous, it may very well be, “The Reggae R&B concert of 2012.”.
