Busy Signal @ Paris

Only a stone's throw from his last appearance in Paris, at the Zénith, Busy Signal made his return to the capital last night at the Cabaret Sauvage. Passing through last year for the Reggae Splash Tour, the deejay had been arrested on the way home by the British authorities before being extradited to the USA and serving six months in prison. Those legal tribulations are now behind him, and the deejay tells his story on stage without holding back. Thinner, he refers many times to his detention, and to his hair falling out (because of the water in prison). "It's been so fucking long !" he lets out, a broad smile across his face.

Musically, his show remains almost the same, and Busy Signal dips straight into his "old" repertoire: Step Out to kick off at full speed, before taking off his jacket for Badman place. He carries on without faltering with Hustling, which earns a big forward, Unknown number, Pon di edge, Mek she stamma, a quickly executed Tic Toc… "One thing 'bout me, me love gal", Busy confides with a burst of laughter, before launching into Up in her belly. Moving on to Too much gun, he shows off all his fast-style technique in an exercise in style that the crowd covers, clamouring for more.

"Reggae Music Again"
Half an hour into the concert, he mentions his latest album, "Reggae Music Again" and his tour cancelled last year. When the band starts the title track, a forest of arms goes up, and he takes care to sing it all the way through. Something he doesn't need to do on Missing you, with the audience taking care of singing the choruses for him. The enthusiasm is such that the song is pulled up twice. Confort zone, then One more night and Nightshift extend this reggae segment.
After The Days, which he starts gently, sitting on a stool, it is time for his songs about Jamaica, Jamaica Love (to the tune of Alphaville's Forever Young) and Take you to Jamaica (over T-Pain and Lil Wayne's Can’t believe it). "You know, I missed the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of Jamaican independence, while I was in prison".

Rare technique
After Jail juice, which the crowd demands, he explains: "Let me sum up the whole story for you" and launches into Nah leave the Almighty, with its verses of rare technique in which he narrates his detention and goes back through the chronology of events. Defense follows, then Tie & dye face on the Bam Bam riddim, a chance to take on Chaka Demus & Pliers' anthem and even Nardo Ranks' Dem a bleach, and finally Nah go a jail again, on which he leaves the stage.

The encore seems largely improvised. Like a symbol of a somewhat disjointed night, which still delivered some good moments even if one had hoped for a better-orchestrated set. He comes back with Burial Spot, then takes requests: "I hear Royal Night, Bad up who, All I have to do is dream… (the Everly Brothers cover)”. He will do all three before finishing a cappella on Fireball, the crowd keeping time. One last thank you, and he slips away. We will catch him again this summer at the Garance Reggae Festival in July, and at Reggae Sun Ska in August.