By Susan Mann
Caribbean Net News St Thomas-St John Correspondent
Email: susan@caribbeannetnews.com

ST JOHN, USVI: There may be only a handful of well-known entertainers today who seek to use their stage presence as a vehicle for deeply felt, personal religious expression. Bunny Wailer has successfully managed to go a step further, using his highly charismatic “star power” as a venue to spread the word about the political party he founded, “the United Progressive Party.”

Virgin Island locals near the stage made every effort to physically touch the last of the living Wailers . Mainland tourists, many who were teens and young adults who stayed to see Wailer perform, after seeing a nationally known "Hip-Hop" act, joined right in with the "One Love" phenomenon. Photo by Susan Mann

The goals of the UPP primarily consist of the decriminalization of marijuana, and educational reforms.

Livingston’s reluctance to spend large blocks of time outside the Caribbean, specifically his beloved Jamaican island home land cost him much, in terms of the commercial world acclaim he might have achieved early on in his career. Yet, the Rasta standard bearer has managed to garner no less than three Grammy awards.

The performance blend of Wailer’s sweet rhythmic back-up singers and incomparable, yet mellow band members; combined with the Reggae singer’s distinctive full, deep voice, equaled unprecedented carnival magic of the ol’ school, for both the plentiful Ganja smokers and those who were simply high on life… or breathing their immediate air space.

A local "Empress" spontaneously joined Wailer on stage, regaling those assembled, as well as the performer, with her dancing ability.  Photo by Susan Mann

Wailer did not take the nearly worshipful devotion of his audience for granted. They had paid a fairly steep admission price to gain entry to the event. He was respectful, and seemed to take pains to be sure he was ‘reading’ the collective group experience, while using his take on things to drive the flow of both the musical performance and his pontifications.

When he was joined on stage by a woman who seemingly felt moved to “come on down”, both Wailer and the crowd were unfazed. She was immediately accepted as another performer by Wailer, as well as the audience. After the Empress finished doing her part for Rastafari she took a demure bow and quietly exited the stage.

St Croix Senator 'Positive' Nelson "cleared de road" for our correspondent to gain entry to the Wailer event when promoters didn't expect the presence of regional media at the event, press pass or not. Photo by Susan Mann

While there were security guards on hand their presence was seamless. Wailer’s thoughtful comments before he wrapped up the show and his exit from the stage seemed calculated to respect the impact of his departure on the crowd. It could best be described as simple and gentle. Sorry. “Corny”, but true.

As readers might expect, the show ended with a rendition of “One Love.” In the end, it was well worth under going a security check which rivaled LAX or O’Hare International.