NU students praise reggae concert held in Winooski

By James P Strail
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

On the first of this month, Winooski's Higher Ground pumped out some of the hottest reggae beats available on the market. Over 300 people dished out $21 a pop to see the reggae star Sizzla perform live.

The arena, packed with everyone from dreaded-out hippies to typical run of the mill college kids, was a cultural cross section of Vermont's youth. Newcomers to Higher Ground, like Jessica Mendish, a 22-year-old civil engineer, found the environment warm and inviting.

"It was my first time up to Higher Ground, and I loved it," said the sophomore from Pittsburgh, PA. "Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces. The reggae just put everyone in a feel-good mood."

20 year-old Nick Atwood from Middlebury, Vt., was another one of the lucky attendees at the concert.

"I love to see a live performance on stage," said Atwood. "The energy in that place was wild. Everyone was goin' nuts."

Atwood, a sophomore biology major, made the 45-minute trip just past Burlington with some friends on April Fool's Day, hoping to get in before the doors closed.

"Sizzla went big time after he released his last album in January, and when I heard he was gonna be at Higher Ground, I had to be there," said Atwood. "I went to a Toots show earlier this year and had to see if Sizzla could live up to the last reggae performance."

Finding the time to see the show was a big issue for students overwhelmed with work with the academic year winding down. Nick Kilbourne, a 19-year-old civil engineering major, budgeted his time during the week so April 1 could be open for reggae.

"I've been swamped with work this whole month and thought I might not be able to go," said the sophomore from Burlington, Vt. "I buckled down early in the week, and when the first came around, I only had Sizzla on the mind."

Aaron Sylvia, also a 19-year-old civil engineering major, encountered the same problem of finding time but managed to squeeze in an evening for the trip to Higher Ground.

"Yeah, we've been strapped for time all year, but I wasn't about to skip out on Sizzla," said Sylvia. "The show was worth every penny."

The show consisted of an opening performance from rising reggae star Turbulance, whose style proved to captivate the attention of the audience. With a fast paced, high-energy charisma, Turbulance scooped up the dance floor and threw the bodies into motion. Sylvia, a sophomore from Bristol, RI, was one of those bodies caught up in the mix.

"I had never heard of Turbulance before the show, and, damn, did he produce," said Sylvia. "I think Sizzla was struggling to live up to performance Turbulance had just put on. He was nasty as hell."

Sylvia wasn't the only one who thought that lead performer Turbulance had outdone Sizzla. Jesse Roy, a sophomore civil engineering major, was shocked at Turbulance's ability to gear up an audience.

"Turbulance really knew how to get the people moving," said Roy. "His performance was so good that I think it took away from Sizzla's performance. The mood was great, and Turbulance had me dancin' all over the place. I had a blast."

Jay Leonard, a 20-year-old sophomore communications major from Middlebury, Vt., had no qualms about the performance of either singer.

"It was a great all around reggae show. The DJ's got everyone worked up with the tables early in the evening, and Turbulance set the tone for Sizzla," said Leonard. "I would have liked to have heard a few more songs from Sizzla, but the evening was worth every cent I paid."

Kilbourn backed up Leonard by expressing his desire to have heard a couple more well-known pieces from Sizzla.

"It's too bad Sizzla didn't sing more of his well-known rifts," said Kilbourn. "He sang a lot of his older stuff, and I wasn't too familiar with those tunes. I still can't say I was displeased with the show, though. Hard reggae like that on a Monday night --what more could you ask for?"

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