On Tuesday, March 6th Lionheart Promotions brought veteran DJ Sugar Minott  to perform at VA's Tuesday night dancehall spot Club Garry's 'The G Spot', in Norfolk.

Opening for Sugar Minott was Ras Shaggy Williams and backing band was Black Roots.

At show time MC Kidd Walker introduced Sugar Minott to the stage and backing band Black Roots began to play the opening chords to a Bob Marley tune, they then went into chords of several tunes, but no Sugar Minott emerged.  The crowd began to get restless and began calling for Sugar to come on stage, just as the patrons began to get really angry Sugar entered the building and ran on stage looking sprightly and young, skanking onto the stage old school dancehall style  and opened with 'Dem a gwan

like a dem run tings', the crowd was rocking to the beat, there were whistles and forwards for 'Dance this reggae music,' and the patrons sang along to 'Just don't wanna be lonely.'   Now, people were enjoying the show

but there were young people in the crowd who just didn't get it, they did not feel the vibes and it was plain to see on their faces. 

It was amazing to watch the expressions on the faces of those who did not feel the vibes, it seemed as if they were trying to figure out why others around them were so into Sugar.  Sugar definitely felt something amiss in the air and said "you know my people are the hardest people to work for!"  he then called for the herbalists and said the people should lighten up and burn a spliff! He then went into 'Herbsman Hustling' and the crowd was hyped again.  Sugar had to work hard for the crowd, he was energetic from beginning to end and from the Herbsman point he captured the crowd's attention. 

As Sugar Minott did renditions of many oldies including Bob Marley tunes and his hit 'Rough Ole Life' to which he received nuff forwards.   Every so often he commented on the vibes in the venue  "Black people, unnu lose unnu vibes, is pure white people ah support, ah better mi play fi dem!  Come like vibes nuh di dey, but unnu mus support reggae music!  Look into yourself and see what is real and true!"

He then went into Studio One riddims and the Rastas in the dance began skanking to 'Ole King Cole,' 

Sugar shouted out to one Rasta "Forward Natty!" and sang 'Never gonna give Jah up', the crowd then sang along to 'Mr DC'.  Sugar then took the patrons into a Gospel riddim and went down on his knees, his fans loved it.

Sugar Minott then thanked all the people who felt the vibe and he made a point of bigging up his long time friend 'Sleepy Wonder.'  He then stopped the band from playing and made a huge statement:

 "Mi get whey now, mi ah go talk!  All these imitation singers you ah hype up like Beenie and Bounty dem can't test me!  Is Freddie and Dennis Brown an dem people yu fi big up!  Now me nah fight gainst nobady cos di whole ah wi haffi eat but ah hip-hop ah scrape up di money and a YU family a starve inna JA!  Don't get no foreign mind, go BUY di CD dem!

He then thanked all the patrons that were left in the dance and declared that they were true Sugar Minott fans and he sang 'House is not a home' for them to their utter enjoyment!

Sugar Minott gave an excellent performance, no one could ask for more, his voice was a rich, strong baritone and he showed he was a great dancehall artist 'with a style of his own'.  One patron stated that Sugar Minott is a big big artist and if this was NY, DC, Fl or Jamaica the people would feel the vibes but "dem ya Virginia people nah feel it."  One thing was for sure, those that were feeling Sugar Minott rocked throughout the whole show 'old school dancehall style!'

Lady Cham & Sugar Minott

Lady Cham