Beres Hammond and Beenie Man to share stage in Hartford and Newark
The Reggae In Action tour shows fall on Hammond’s birthday on 28 August and mark Beenie Man’s first performance at the Prudential Center.
NEW YORK, United States. Reggae singer Beres Hammond and dancehall star Beenie Man will share the stage on two nights in the tri-state area, according to Jamaican entertainment publicist Anthony “ER Guru” Turner.
Turner told Caribbean Life on Monday 17 August that the pair would perform in Hartford, Connecticut, on Friday 28 August before heading to Newark, New Jersey, the next day.
The shows are part of the Reggae In Action tour, brought to the region by Jammins Events.
Birthday show
“Aug. 28 happens to be Beres Hammond’s birthday,” Turner said, meaning the crowd at the Peoples Bank Arena will help him celebrate.
The Newark concert will be Beenie Man’s first performance at the Prudential Center.
Contrasting styles
Turner described Hammond, the voice behind “Rockaway” and “One Love, One Life”, as an artist who builds a crowd “patiently, until the whole room is right there with him”.
Beenie Man, he said, works from the opposite end of the spectrum. “Ever since he broke through in the ’90s and introduced himself to American audiences, with ‘Who Am I’ back in 1997, he’s made a career out of pure, unfiltered dancehall force,” Turner said.
“Nobody calls him the ‘King of Dancehall’ as a courtesy. And yet, somehow, put the two of them together and it just clicks.”
Turner said the combination felt like “the full picture of what Jamaican music can be”.
Regional draw
George Crooks, the promoter behind the tour at Jammins Events, said: “You can’t get a more entertaining show than Beres Hammond/Beenieman. They are two legendary artistes with lots of hit songs.”
“We are expecting people from all over,” he added, naming New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Rhode Island and Delaware.
