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Sizzla and Anthony B in Concert - Le Medley - August 27 2004 - Montreal

Sizzla's much debated concert appearance in Montreal went off without a hitch on Friday night despite a lot negative attention from gay rights groups throughout the country. They were hoping the concert would be cancelled due to the entertainer's lyrics.

A press conference was scheduled on Friday at 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. We got there around 3:15 p.m., and it was all over already. A Global News reporter provided a brief summary stating the artist came in and read a prepared statement. We were unable to view the recording of it eventhough the reporter stated he did not understand one word that came out of Sizzla's mouth. Irregardless, he stated the show would go on, which was music to my ears.

We arrived at Le Medley around 11:45 p.m., and then received our tickets so kindly organised by Jen from dhr.com (thanks again!). There was no lineup and we immediately went inside. Opening acts were already on stage and performing quite well to the delight of the crowd. The venue was packed but not stifling packed where you could not move around. Only complaint for the night was that there was no ventilation causing the dreaded sweatbox effect.

Other opening acts such as Corexon from Toronto entertained the crowd while we waited for the headliners. Judgement Yard rookies then appeared and the crowd seemed to gain more energy as these small artistes continued to blaze up the fire. Is it me or do all these small artistes from Judgement Yard sound like mini-Sizzlas?

Anyways, the second artist to appear from Judgement Yard slipped in that Anthony B was not here and did not make it due to Immigration problems etc. The crowd did not seem to mind in the least. This was very weird due to the fact that if he said this in Toronto bottles might fly a la Reggae Festival. The crowd was always well behaved and were lapping up everything that the entertainers did.

Just before 1 a.m., Sizzla graced the stage in his full suit of white, to cheers and applause that drowned out the mic and band. Flags were waving, lighters were blazing and people with their hands in the air. Since the venue was not a large one, we managed to be right near the stage to witness everything. He started off with his massive hit "Smoke the herb and get a humble thought" which he immediately had to pull up.

Sizzla was on stage for close to 1.5 hours, and he went through his entire catalogue and even gave Montreal some new tunes which were well received. He took time to address the gay rights groups and their issues with his lyrical content. It was good to see an artist take them head on, with clear, articulate speeches throughout.

The first one was that "If you do not like what an artist sings, then you have a choice to not attend his/her concert". He went on to state that "If it was not for a God-blessed union between a man and a woman then none of us would be here!" He did actually lash out against battyman and lesbians on one occasion but there was nothing to say that he was on a gay bashing tripout. He was extremely professional during his performance.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this concert from start to finish with the exception that Anthony B did not arrive/perform. Excellent work done on all ends of the promotion. It is also commendable that Sizzla has not bent to the ongoing criticisms from gay rights groups. Other artists may want to take note on Sizzla's stance and try to unite and take them on together rather than alone!