WELL I MUST CONFESS, dat I ain’t know the last year, and I mean year, I dress and went out tuh a sit down show in Barbados. I truly enjoyed it and it was a evening well spent.
It was at the Frank Collymore Hall last Saturday night and it was called Ricky Aimey: The Concert. Tuh be truthful, I expected it tuh be good because I know Ricky could handle heself wid dat bass guitar and pon any stage; he is a excellent bass guitarist and a good singer too but ya never see him actually getting out there on his own, up front and in ya face. He does mostly be in the band making other artists sound and look good. But out front, and all by heself too? I thought dat was taking a big step.
I meet a couple o’ old friends there at the Hall, so we sat down together in the same row, talking ’bout what we did expecting tuh see and hear. The wife told me dat she was hoping dat Ricky would do the Earth, Wind And Fire hit Reasons because dat was one o’ the songs she love tuh hear him singing.
Well boy, he sang it! He put down the guitar, sat down on a small stool wid the microphone between his legs and sang it. He reasoned it out, he acted it out, he played wid it and was very relaxed as he delivered the song. And you should see my girl, rolling she head, moving she hands and singing hard; she was right there wid Ricky all the way tuh end when she reach over and tell me dat anything could happen now, she had tuh hear and see Ricky do Reasons. Wow! Truthfully I thought he shoulda stan’ right there pon dat stool a li’l longer and do a few more pieces – it was dat nice.
Later down in the show, my boy carried ya way back in time and had evahbody singing along tuh the medley of old songs. From the response, I know people was really enjoying demselves. At some time I did want tuh shout out but evahbody was there dressed up and the other thing was dat I think it was under the patronage o’ the Governor of the Barbados Central Bank and his wife, so you know dat ya had tuh be circumspect and the other thing is, the two o’dem was sitting very close tuh me so I had tuh behave muh self.
It was interesting tuh see the kind o’ people who was there and the age group. I had tuh say dat the people in my age bracket or a li’l younger, ain’t got nowhere tuh go where we could relax and enjoy good entertainment. Well, I suppose it ain’t only ’bout getting out and enjoying duhselves. Some people doan like tuh drive at night; duh doan feel comfortable. Another set doan like tuh leave the safety of duh homes once duh get in from work. Duh even got another set who would leh you know dat wid the lot o’ junk dat some young men getting on wid nowadays, dem would prefer not tuh be out at night.
Another thing ’bout putting on these kinds o’ shows or concerts: duh does cost a “pong and a crown” tuh put on. Ricky say he write letters tuh about ten or so people asking dem fuh sponsorship and he get back a response from two. Dat is wha’ I talking ’bout. It is a very expensive undertaking and when people get tuh enjoy a nice concert like dat, duh does expect tuh see it happen again the next year, not knowing what it does take fuh it tuh happen.
So in closing, Ricky, let me say thank you for a wonderful evening.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.