March 18, 1997;SOB's, NYC, NY
by E-Ski, Easy Star Records

Over the past year, reggae continued to experience growing pains. While dancehall artists and producers were able to push reggae into areas uncharted, the major labels yet again displayed impatience and short sightedness in their attitude towards reggae music. Many acts were abandoned by their labels, and the forecast for the coming year does not look any brighter.

In 1986, when dancehall was still in its infancy, a young artist named Lindon Roberts, a.k.a Half Pint, broke onto the scene. With a voice and range considerably larger than his small frame, he was at the forefront of a tide of young artists ready to take over where brother Marley had left off and secure reggae's future. On the night of March 18th, 1997, Half Pint, now a veteran, came into S.O.B.'s to remind us how right reggae can be and help us all "Have a Little Faith."

Performing in New York after a long overdue absence, Half Pint got right down to business with "Greetings," and did not let up as he charged through classics like "Victory," "Brother Love" and "Political Fiction." Half Pint performed with an enthusiasm that was not lost on the S.O.B.'s crowd. The audience responded by singing along to almost every song and calling him back for an encore.

Backed by the Ten Cord band, Half Pint ripped through a no-nonsense set that included all of his many hits. The band was able to follow Half Pint's lead through every turn. The guitarist and drummer were especially solid and played well off each other, while the band dropped into dub sessions at will throughout the set. At first I assumed the backup band was another local New York ensemble that I just hadn't heard of. But, since they knew his work so well and played every song with confidence and ease, I quickly realized that Ten Cord was Half Pint's touring band. Though we have many excellent backup bands here in New York that usually do the visiting artist justice, it's always refreshing to see an act come in to the Big Apple with its own touring band.

The show started a little after 11:00 P.M. (which was a welcome change from the usual midnight start) and moved along quickly. It was a pleasure to see Half Pint sing songs like "Don't Let it Fade Away" and "Look Before You Leap" in person, and he brought down the house with performances of "Freedom Fighter," "Cost of Living" and "Officer."

The overall performance was crisp and clean. While some artists like to reinvent their songs for the live performance, Half Pint gave powerful replicas of the studio recordings. At times, if you closed your eyes, you could just as easily be kicking back, listening to the recording at home, instead of being in the middle of a New York club.

Half Pint's set was an excellent example of how live reggae should be performed. Like other outstanding veteran performers, such as Sugar Minott or Yellowman, Half Pint makes you feel that he enjoys performing his songs and wants to be there with you. Shows like this put to rest any doubts as to the vitality of reggae. Though reggae still suffers from exclusion from commercial radio, and holds little respect by the American music industry, this has in no way destroyed the music. The fire still burns in reggae, and anyone who was at this show could attest to that.