On The Scene: Yugong Yishan 06-02-2013

That keytarist’s face pretty much sums up the night. Does he look he’s having a good time? Now plaster that shit-eating grin across the whole dancefloor and there you have the Wednesday night before Chinese New Year where I decided to go out in style by getting my rasta on and letting the good vibes of reggae cleanse my damned soul. Yeah, it was Bob Marley’s birthday bash, and Yugong Yishan was in charge of rolling out (up) the festivities for the juggernaut of a musician with a slew of DJs, and Beijing’s premier reggae band, One Drop on performing duties. Lucky, they did not disappoint, capturing the mood and giving the joint a heck of a good time, one that Bob Marley would be proud of.

It’s hard not to catch the bug – when reggae is done with such genuine passion and joy you have no choice but to give in. You’d be a robot to act otherwise. Even the chubby little lad sitting on the stairs leading up to the stage, probably dragged to the show by his mother unwillingly, was having a difficult time keeping still.

He tried, but it was too much to handle for him at one point – he just gave up, shaking those cheeks with glee. Wise choice little dudin. It was a party up there – a celebration, and celebrate we did.

Happy birthday Bob Marley!