The Independent had been nearly empty just an hour before, but a steady stream of smiling, be-dreaded heads filled the floor by the time Rose came on at 10:45 p.m. It was a small but fitting--and fittingly named--venue for the Jamaica-based band: "Down in Jamaica, today is our independence day," Rose said, adding that this was the first time he had been to San Francisco in 10 years.
Even though most of the beats were mellow and low, Rose let his screaming white tennis shoes lead him around the stage for the entirety of the set. As he moved, his head was bobbing, and sweat poured down his beard and saturated the elbows of his suit. Some members of the crowd had also been bobbing to the contagious upbeats since they walked in the door, but those who weren't dancing before caught on fast at Rose's lead. His backup singers -- the only two women on stage -- moved in sync to the beat, their voices nearly drowned out by Rose's legendary scatting and the ringing bass and drums behind it.
Rose is no stranger to the stage -- his original band, Black Uhuru, won the first Grammy for reggae in 1985 for their album, Anthem. He has performed with all the reggae greats, from the Wailers to Gregory Isaacs. Last night Rose stuck mostly to his most popular songs, including some from his latest album, Great Expectations. But he also managed to slip in the mandatory Michael Jackson tribute at one point: "The girl is mine," he sang. "The doggone girl is mine."
