2012
Freddie McGregor takes the CNE by storm
Written by: Alexis McLaren
When I was a kid, I absolutely DREADED going to my cousin’s house for one of her infamous basement parties. It was all the parents dancing in the middle, with all the children holding court against the wall with misery in their eyes.
Fast forward 20 years later, when my mother and neighbour begged me to take them to see Freddy McGregor. I feared that it would be yet another fam jam, but Mr. McGregor had me jamming out with my mom and neighbour the whole night long.
After a slew of great opening acts to get the crowd ready for Freddy, Mr. McGregor went through all the classics and even paid homage to Dennis Brown.
As I watched my mom (from a safe distance) relive her days in Jamaica through the concert, I looked around and noticed that the show wasn’t just for Jamaicans living in Canada. All people of nationality were dancing and singing to songs that would unite them for just an hour.
What made this concert even more special: it came off the heels of Jamaican’s 50th year of independence and Jamaica’s fine showing at the 2012 London Olympics. It was national pride at its best and I tip my imaginary hat to the CNE and G98.7 for scheduling this event for people that grew up listening to Freddy’s music and for people like me who fell in love with it for the first time.
