The standing ovation given to Jah Cure as he ambled onto the Uhuru Gardens stage was rapturous – he hadn’t done anything. The reception was given merely because of Jah Cure’s full Maasai regalia and the crowd’s long wait for Jah Cure signature voice.

An overwhelming sight to behold, the stage became alive with the Maasai morans jumping.

Tears streamed down the face of a woman, her devotion to Jah Cure unwavering and devoid of hype as she sang along to ‘Call On Me.’ Two guys salute in awe through ‘Rasta’ and a sizeable crowd sings along to ‘Respect.’

When it comes to the Cure, there is no middle ground with his fans – you either love his music unquestioningly or not. Although that fact did not sit well when he came back after he had changed from his Maasai outfit, some of his not so loyal fans questioned why he took so long to get back on stage and why he let the crowd sing to his hits more than he did.

Days before the concert Jah Cure was involved in a clean-up exercise, visited the Maasai land and toured different tourism attraction sites.

The concert wasn’t a dull affair exactly, or a boring one, nor has it in any way affected the fans love for Jah Cure’s music. It was unpredictable, and perhaps that’s the intention of this music, after all.

To witness the hypnotic and unintelligible hold of Jah Cure over his fans and the fascination that comes from seeing the man.

Exiting Uhuru Gardens in the wee hours of the morning, we are left consoled with the memory of perhaps the greatest sold out Reggae concert by a young veteran artist of our generation while wondering what could have been.

The concert was also graced by a number of home grown entertainers. 

Written by Embukane Libosso