The place is Negril, Jamaica. The location, the Negril Escape Resort’s massive outdoor terrace and stage bordering the cliffs and overlooking the sea. It’s nighttime and the crowd is mesmerized as Jungle King, the fire dancer, prances around the dark terrace juggling lit torches and swallowing flames. He paces forward toward the crowd, pulling two guests from their seats to join in the ritual.
Fire dancer, drummers and folklore – it almost sounds like tourist entertainment as usual. But it’s only the start of the show and as visitors as well as locals are discovering – the Sunset Show is quite possibly the most ingenuous concept anywhere in Jamaica.
Quite simply, the show is a full live re-enactment of how Jamaican music and reggae came to be, starting from the 1830s all the way to the present. Over the course of the night, renowned Jamaican artists such as Alton Ellis, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Sizzla, and Beres Hammond all come to life on the outdoor cliff side stage of the Negril Escape Resort. And while it’s not the artists themselves, you’d almost believe it watching the ones performing on stage and listening to the popular sounds.
Over four hours, the show starts with live African drums and folklore dancing, and transitions smoothly on to the various “phases” of Jamaican music: ska, rock steady, lover’s rock, roots reggae, and dancehall. Rather than cheap imitations of the major artists representing these eras, the talents re-enacting them are not only incredible look-alikes but also long-established vocalists and musicians who perform around various reputable venues in Jamaica.
