Tarrus Riley Live in Denver for Love Situation Tour (Concert Review)

Tarrus Riley performs live in concert for the first time in Denver, Colorado with Dean Fraser and Black Soil Band for his Love Situation Tour

Saturday night we were blessed with the presence of an excellent singer and performer here in Colorado at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. Tarrus Riley came to Colorado for the first time on Saturday, February 21st, 2014 with Dean Fraser and the Black Soil Band for his “Love Situation” Tour. The night was full of an irie vibration, flowing across the entire venue. The evening warmed up with Selassee and the Fafa Family who played a very distinct and powerful opening set. This band is from Boulder, Colorado and has a very authentic and unique sound, combining roots reggae with some West African dance sounds. It has been a long time since I have seen a crowd so excited and lively for a local opening act. All of the musicians set the stage ablaze with excellent energy while coming up with a very full sound that kept the people wanting more and got them ready for what they were about to see.DJ Uplifter dropped a set with some new roots tunes from some great new artists like Kabaka Pyramid and Chronixx to warm the venue up right before the Black Soil band came on stage around midnight. I haven’t heard Cervantes that loud very often. Dean Fraser opened up, being the legendary musician that he is, his saxophone resonated with my soul and felt like such a profound, unique, and beautiful sound. Denver was really lively as Tarrus stepped on stage – singing with his amazing, unique, and powerful voice.The Black Soil band layed down some excellent riddims for Tarrus to sing to, including many of his hit songs like “Superman” and “Gimme Likkle One Drop.” There aren’t m any times I have seen the crowd so loud at a reggae show as this, but it seemed as if everyone was enjoying themselves. By the middle of the show, Tarrus gave us a tribute to many of the great artists that paved the way for the “youths as himself” as Tarrus put it. The crowd was really not stopping getting into the show, the smell of high grade permeated the air and the vibes were right. Tarrus Riley with Dean Fraser and the Black Soil band put on a performance to remember. Mid-show, Tarrus took the time out to let both his security and keyboardist to sing for a moment and expose the crowd to a very unique sound. Tarrus made sure to introduce his band, insisting that we were seeing Tarrus Riley “live in concert,” and not simply at a “stage show.” He sang a handful of new tunes off of his “Love Situation” album and kept the crowd interested until the end of the show.It isn’t every month that we get to see such a stunning performance that makes such a profound impact on the viewers. Cervantes put on an excellent show, the sound was great, and the atmosphere was perfect. I will be looking forward to more shows at Cervantes to come in the future, its such a good venue. Reggae is taking over in Colorado. More love and respect everytime.

Written by Lex for Jamworld876