BY HOWARD CAMPBELL—
Observer senior writer —
Having sat on the sidelines with fellow artistes for over a year, Freddie McGregor is preparing to reopen the reggae live show scene on July 3 with his Big Ship Music Fest. The event is scheduled for Port Charlotte Fairgrounds in Port Charlotte, Florida.
McGregor first staged the event on July 6, 2019. A second show was shelved last year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic which also caused the cancellation of major festivals such as Reggae Geel in Belgium, Summerjam in Germany, and Rototom Sunsplash in Spain.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, McGregor said the Big Ship Music Fest will be a litmus test for other shows.
“Looking around there is no other event being advertised, so we got out of the box really fast and early. The response we are getting for this line-up right now is great; promoters are calling from different places in America to book this package, so that tells me that things are going great,” he said.
‘This package’ comprises Mykal Roze, Etana, Cocoa T, Chino, Perfect Giddimani and Anthony B. They will be backed by the Code Red Band out of South Florida.
The Big Ship Music Fest will be held during the July 4 holiday weekend in the United States. Its inaugural sail featured McGregor, Everton Blender, Admiral Tibet and Marcia Griffiths in a city with less than 50,000 people; Port Charlotte is close to Tampa and Naples, cities with Jamaican communities.
McGregor was satisfied with the debut show.
“It was good, it was our first time, and we didn’t know the area very well, but we tested it out and it worked. This year we know exactly what we need to do to double up on what we did the first time, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Due to the coronavirus’s deadly spread, promoters cancelled major reggae festivals in Europe and North America last year. There has been no announcement from any of these events regarding a possible return this year.
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