Part 48 - Raggamuffin and Lauryn Hill

There was heat but no sun. A Fugee but no Wyclef. Raggamuffin 2010 was a nice day in the park, but it cost a lot.

It was a shame, because there was a lovely feeling in the air. Was it the marijuana mixed with the cool breeze and occasionally spitters of rain? Or maybe the chilled out tunes that rolled gently up the hills, to be greeted by the dancing, the sitting, the shirtless and the cool?

Highlights. Sly & Robbie and Lauryn Hill aka L Boogie aka Miss Hill. Sly & Robbie played a fantastic one hour dub set. The beats bounced of the concrete and made your feet hop up and down, side to side. The horns flew mischievously over the guitar and bass, and the drummer (only 1!!!) was fantastic, sounding like a percussion guru and drummer all in one. I am not the biggest Sly and Robbie fan in the world. I didn’t recognise a single track (I first heard of them The Fugees’ 1996 album, The Score). But I know dub and we got some dub and some dub. I wished somebody has passed the joint over.

Lauryn was only for about 45 minutes. She didn’t sing Zion. She didn’t sing Do Woop (That thing). She didn’t bust out that amazing cover of Blame it on the Sun (Stevie Wonder) which was the last track on the single for the Fugees’ last single, No Women, No Cry. But she put on a show. Her band were incredibly tight, and the jam sessions were fun, crazy but controlled. She hopped about, threw out incredibly fast rhymes (I bet she can still battle) and lavished us with her beautiful voice. I did not expect to hear much Fugees’ work, and was VERY impressed by solo rendition of The Score’s How Many Mics. She sang the Delfonics classic Ready or Not before dropping the beat we all know. She gave so much in so little time.

But we all wanted more. Oh so much more, but “Miss Hill” did no encores. It was short but oh so sweet.

I have to admit, I had more fun at ReggaMuffin than I thought I would, but the festival is flawed. The ticket price is too high, that was too much free space. There should have been a shit load of people milling about, grooving and chillin’. The place wasn’t empty, but Melbourne likes reggae. We like dub. Market it better. Charge less. Don’t have Sean Kingston on the bill. And don’t fucking headline with fucking Shaggy.