On Sunday, April 18, Crossroads was buzzing with a host of mixed emotions.  The occasion was a fundraiser for Connie Campbell, a Jamaican backup singer who had a stroke backstage approximately 8 months ago at the same venue.  Many people came out because they wanted to support Connie.  Others came out because they were fans of Shaggy, Cocoa Tea, and/or Tarrus Riley.  I went out because the lineup was stellar and more importantly, it was for a great cause. 

The show was tight and on time.  The artists were on time and on point!  The crowd was well behaved and captive.  In other words, the vibes was NICE!

All the performances were heartfelt, with the artists not being afraid to show their raw emotions for the plight of one of their own.  Oasis Band opened the show and did a great job.  Sherita Lewis was on next and she held her own and gave a decent performance.  Dean Fraser was wonderful as usual and it was apparent that he was also acting as the "father" of the team.  The pride and joy he showed to see his "children" performing was obvious, so it was hard for the smile to be wiped off his face even at one point when his mic was not working properly.  I felt a very special connection when Duane Stephenson performed "Dreamweaver" for Connie.  It was so incredible, I felt hot and cold flashes running all through my body at the same time.  I am not afraid to say I found myself crying because it was sang so beautifully and it was such a genuine sentiment that came straight from the heart of Duane and Black Soil Band..."Dreamweaver, send her back to me.  Dreamweaver, set me free."  

Cocoa Tea hit the stage and the energy in the room went up to a higher level.  He was sooooo good, it was surreal.  He had the crowd eating out of his hands, and could have stayed on stage and not say a thing because folks were singing like they were at a choir rehearsal.  Cocoa Tea was not allowed to leave when he wanted to and had to come back to give us more!  In my opinion, he won performer of the night!   Tarrus Riley is consistently an excellent performer.  He was fun backstage and he was awesome on stage.  What else is there to say except that I love me some Tarrus "Singy-Singy" Riley?   After seeing Shaggy's performance, I am inclined to take away Elephant Man's title of "energy god" and bestow it upon Shaggy!  Well, Shaggy was not exacly running around and jumping from very high places, but the energy in his waistline was just ridiculous!  He performance was fun and engaging and the women could not get enough. I left very soon after all the performers came back onstage for one last hurrah, but I am told that the ending of the show was amazing! 

Kudos to Crossroads and all the artists who came togethet to make this event truly beautiful.  Maximum respect to everyone who attended the event or made donations to the Connie Campbell Foundation. 

Click HERE to see my slide-show of the event and keep it locked to www.crossroadsclub.com.