It’s been 13 years since reggae and dancehall legend Buju Banton last performed in the U.S. Watching the icon dance and belt his way through a 90-minute set at New York’s UBS Arena on Sunday night (July 14), it was nearly impossible to believe that much time has passed.
Buju’s Sunday night show — his second of two back-to-back sold-out performances over the weekend — activated one of the cultural backbones of New York City with a combination of dynamic staging, enrapturing musical arrangements and an unmatched passion for the power of love, music and togetherness.
Decked out in a lily-white blazer and plants combo — which he transformed into just a white short-sleeve button-up midway through the opening song — Gargamel took the stage with an unmistakable expression of gratitude on his face. The two New York shows marked the singer’s first U.S. concerts since his 2011 incarceration for a slew of convictions, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense
As he ripped through his sprawling setlist, Buju showed love to nearly every era of his four-decade career. Timeless anthems like “Champion” and “Wanna Be Loved” reverberated across the arena with the packed venue shouting the lyrics back at him at every chance, while more evocative moments like “Murderer” and “Psalm 23” highlighted the vulnerability and raw emotion that have helped Buju become one of the most venerated musical acts across genres.
During a summer in which the New York block party has shifted from beloved tradition to one of the most pressing topics of boneheaded social media discourse, Buju’s New York shows served as much-needed reminders of the true energy of such gatherings. The crowd that packed out Long Island’s UBS Arena mirrored a proper Brooklyn block party in ways that their facsimiles never could. Not only was every generation represented, it felt as if all of Flatbush was in the building. Countless flags decorated the crowd — Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago had particularly strong delegations present — and over 18,000 people had their finger guns up in celebration of a legend.
Of course, Buju shared the stage with some of his closest friends in the business, bringing out Gramps Morgan, Fat Joe and Remy Ma to surprise the crowd. The moves also underscored the intrinsic connection between reggae, dancehall and hip-hop — particularly in New York City, which Buju referred to as one of the “meccas of reggae music” in Billboard’s exclusive interview with him announcing his upcoming 14-date U.S. arena trek, the Overcomer Tour.
Here are the five best moments of Buju Banton’s Long Walk to Freedom New York shows.
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The Shiloh Band
A strong backing band is an essential element of any formidable live show, and The Shiloh Band rose to the occasion. About midway through the performance, Buju acknowledged that Sunday night’s show was slightly different from the night prior, but that didn’t stop the band from seamlessly adjusting to his cues and working together with him in real time to create individual emotional arcs throughout the show’s overall narrative.
Without any substantial breaks, the band essentially molded songs from across Buju’s gargantuan catalog into one long song, effortlessly transitioning between tracks loosely based on theme and tempo. Some standout instrumentalists in the band included the saxophonist, guitarist and both percussionists — all of whom had extended solo moments that helped the audience bask in the earthiness of live reggae instrumentation. Of course, Buju’s two background singers — one of whom happened to be his youngest sister — were also pitch-perfect. In fact, the two of them holding down the chorus of “Wanna Be Loved,” while Buju took in the sold-out crowd singing it back to him, made for one of the night’s most beautiful moments.
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Buju’s Birthday Surprise
At the end of the show, led by his youngest sister, the icon’s family flooded the stage to serenade Banton with “Happy Birthday” and surprise him with a cake onstage. Although Banton’s actual birthday is Monday (July 15), the moment capped off an extremely emotional night. Allowing both Banton and his fans to celebrate this moment together — especially after over a decade of waiting for his return — was the perfect ending to a night that was always acutely aware of its gravity without ever crumbling under that weight.
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Buju Stakes His Claim for ‘Greatest Living Performer’ Title
By the end of the night, one thing was clear: Once Buju wrapped those locs around his neck, he was about to deliver some of the show’s most physically expressive moments. At 51 years old, with nearly 40 years of music under his belt, Buju Banton has seen countless iterations of reggae and dancehall, and the distinct styles of stage shows that come with each of those eras. Recently, there has been much debate about the younger school of dancehall relying on lip-syncing to backing tracks instead of performing their music live. Most of the genre’s OGs are staunchly against the practice, and Buju’s sold-out shows prove exactly why.
Whether he was pushing his vocal chords to their limit on harrowing renditions of “Murderer” and “Holy Mountain,” or activating his waistline for tracks like “Love Sponge,” Banton put his entire body into every song of his set. His New York shows were a masterclass in the high-octane performances that ground reggae’s history, while also injecting that energy with deep-seated reverence for both the love of his fans and all that God has helped him overcome.
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Fat Joe & Remy Ma Bring the Bronx to Long Island
“He used to be in the car with me and Big Pun. And the car be like this [tilts aggressively.] ‘Cause it wasn’t skinny Fat Joe, it was fat Fat Joe!” the New York hip-hop icon quipped as he gave Banton his flowers live on-stage, telling the story of their decades-long friendship.
Before introducing Fat Joe to the stage for a performance of his Billboard Hot 100-topping “Lean Back,” Banton described the ways the rapper used to drive all the way from the Bronx to take him around New York City, during a time when he didn’t have many friends in the city. Remy Ma — who strutted onto the stage to the sound of particularly fervent cheers — soon joined for her “Lean Back” verse, before segueing into “All the Way Up,” which similarly kept the arena jumping. The best example of how New York’s cultural melting pot translates into music, this crossover collaboration felt like an exaltation of the city’s true character.
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Gramps Morgan Pays Tribute to His Late Brother
From the moment Banton opened the show with “Buried Alive,” it was clear that Long Walk to Freedom New York was going to deal with life’s brightest and darkest moments. Earlier this year (Feb. 25), Peter “Peetah” Morgan — the lead singer of Morgan Heritage — passed away, and Banton made sure to pay tribute to his “beautiful soul” at his show.
To help honor the late Peetah Morgan, Banton brought out Gramps Morgan — one of Peetah’s brothers — for a stirring rendition of the timeless “Psalm 23.” As the two men walked down center stage hand-in-hand, belting out lines like “Yeh, though I walk in death’s dark veil/ Yet will I fear no ill/ Thy rod and staff, they are with me/ They surely comfort still,” UBS Arena was treated to an unequivocally unforgettable moment in reggae music history. Love of humanity guides Buju above all else, and it’s that love that spurred him to share his moment with all of the people who have poured into him throughout his career.
