Steel Pulse in Hollywood

By Jan Salzman on Saturday, May 21, 2011 - Photos by Jan Salzman - 1 comment

Steel Pulse played at Hollywood Park Racetrack, Inglewood, California on May 13, 2011.

Sampler

The infamous day, Friday the 13^th, has always been a lucky day for me. And so it was for me this day. My favorite British reggae band, Steel Pulse, was performing in town, and I was set to cover the show. Steel Pulse was calling this tour the “back to our roots, 2011”. This Grammy winning band ('Babylon the Bandit', 1986) exemplifies the best of the British reggae bands, with an extremely polished stage presence; they rock all of their classic hits with precision and expertise.

Harking back to their roots, Steel Pulse opened their set with Find It…Quick from their first mega-hit album 'True Democracy'. They continued the hit-after-hit set with Natty Dread, Rally Round, Roller Skates and my favorite uplifting song of all time, Chant A Psalm. Steel Pulse blazed on with Pan Africans Unite, a Handsworth Revolution/Drug Squad medley, then back to the landmark album… 'True Democracy' with Leggo Beast and Your House. They closed the main part of their set with the driving tune from 'Earth Crisis', Stepping Out. After a rousing crowd cheered them on, Steel Pulse returned for an encore keeping the conscious vibe going with Wild Goose Chase (Who shall save the human race). Next they treated us to a new song, Rocksteady, which the crowd really loved! Babylon Makes the Rules followed…and they closed the night’s performance with Blazing Fire (can’t stop rasta), from their historically significant album 'African Holocaust'. Lead singer and main creative force within the band, David Hinds, performed to the max, sometimes with his guitar, sometimes without it, flashing dreadlocks and generally gave the audience a spectacular show. Selwyn Brown, the only other original member, came out from behind his keyboards for a little jaunt across the stage on one song.

Most of the band chilled out for a while on the bus…it was a chilly night and they were all sweaty and in tank tops…they have to stay healthy for the tour! The members then came out, after a change of clothes and some warm jackets, and mingled with friends and a few fans that lingered on. I greeted everyone with love and positive vibes and then headed home fulfilled with the fantastic nights performance. I listened to 'African Holocaust' while driving home.