UB40, along with Shaggy and Steel Pulse, brought the reggae vibes to MECU Pavilion in Baltimore on Wednesday, September 4th. It was a hot and humid evening, which added to this summer-like atmosphere.
Steel Pulse kicked off the evening, celebrating 40 years of making music in America. This was a special treat for me since I have been a fan of Steel Pulse since the 90’s and this was my first time seeing them perform live. Their set was the perfect way to start off this night of summer music at MECU Pavilion. They performed mostly newer songs which were well received by the audience.
Shaggy dramatically took the stage wearing sunglasses and a white Madora hat and greeting the audience with a playful smile. He walked the stage, always in the spotlight, making eye contact and flirting with the crowd throughout his set. His charisma and charm drew in the crowd and they sang along to every song, feeding off his energy from the stage. Shaggy performed every one of his best known songs, even teasing the audience by walking off the stage prior to playing his last song, “It Wasn’t Me”.
UB40 was the headlining performer for the evening and they performed a setlist of favorites, as well as a few covers, in celebration of their 40th anniversary. The tour featured Ali Campbell and Astro, both founding members of the original UB40.
Enjoy this video of Shaggy performing “It Wasn’t Me” along with photos of all three artists performing at MECU Pavilion on September 4th. All photos copyright and courtesy of Shantel Mitchell Breen.
