RIP Toots

[Drunk Monk]

Saw him years ago at the Catalyst. Went with DM and I think Steve Yee, but maybe wrong on that last. The music was great but he didn't wear pants, instead going for tights with skulls, which was not so great.

I don't remember that. I just went searching for a ticket stub but I couldn't find one. I would've paid to get into the Catalyst so there should be one in my collection, but I've lost some over the years. That's a shame on my memory because a night at the Cat with you and the Yi man must have been so irie. We did a fair number of Cat shows back in the late 80s, especially during my grad school years so forgive the blur. 

I'm copying my DOOM posts about seeing Toots below in mourning.

Toots was heartbreaking.

Toots brought it home and many really loved that set, but for me, it seemed a bit slow for Toots.  He still looks in great shape and has a phenomenal voice, but was playing more soulful and slow, and I was hoping for something more upbeat, like the old Toots, more high energy.  Still, he has so many anthem tunes, it can't but be amusing.

- Toots started strong with two songs I really wanted to hear: Pressure Drop & Time Tough.  But then he went all cheesy with Louie Louie.  I had already walked away when that happened.  So strong opening, but I think he didn't like the fog - too chilly for his JA blood.

Toots & the Maytals: I'm is a huge Toots fan having seen him dozens of times over the past two decades.  He's still got it, although he didn't blow me away this round.  Opened with Do the Reggay - the song that first coined the term.  In the first six songs, Toots nailed the three I wanted to hear: Time Tough, Bam Bam and...oh man, there was another, but it escapes me now.  Anyway, I decided to man medical instead of wait out the set, knowing that many other volunteers really wanted to see Toots and for them, this would be a first time.

Toots was sluggish to begin, still doing his standard schtick of starting out with a classic riddem, then double-timing the beat towards the end, sending the audience into a frenzy.  He's showing his age, not the Ben Vereen of Reggae anymore.  He got me towards the end, with that same riddem double-time trick.  He did a version of Bam Bam, a persoanl fav song, that I didn't care for, but I respect that he tried to reinterpret one of his standards and pushed the edge a little, instead of just going for the easy play-it-like-he-always-has-for-30+ years now.  He got me in the end with a 20+ encore that was just darting in and out of different riddems, coming dangerously close to polka or moshpit beats, but then returning to the comfrot of roots reggae and ska.  A good show, all in all.

My fondest memory of Toots was Reggae Sunsplash at the Greek which I'm guessing was the late 80s. Dm puddled on L and got in early to secure awesome seats, then smoked a huge fatty with his squad right near the entrance and the audience streamed in, setting the tone of the crowd. That was before fatties were even in the vernacular. It was all about pinners back then because pot was still way on the down low - still very illegal - and this was so blatant. The L kicked in hard and it started to rain. Dm hadn't dressed for weather and one of the things he hates most of all is being wet and cold. Yellowman took the stage and Dm's trip went dark - very dark - bordering on Armageddon. Reggae's repeatative crescendo teasing structure made Dm think that as soon as the song climaxed, the apocalypse would begin and Yellowman was some dark angel or albino demon sounding the first trumpet. Afterwards, Dm's squad said he just pulled inwards, tucked deep in a crouch, stable but clearly not wanting to be disturbed. Then Toots hit the stage. In Dm's lysergic-soaked mind's eye, a beam of sunlight pierced the clouds and shined upon him during the first song. During the second song, the sunshine spread, embracing the entire venue with summertime warmth. By the 3rd song, everyone was dry and dancing. Dm can still see that magnificent moment, acid-seared into his retinas. Toots sang 'everybody got soaked' and it was a musical epiphany.