Reggae artiste Keznamdi is thankful that he has been able to perform throughout his current summer tour, which was threatened after touring mate Kabaka Pyramid and his Bebble Rockers band became affected by the dreaded COVID-19.
The tour of the United States — which began on August 6 runs until October 2, and also includes American reggae rockers Rebelution — pressed ahead despite the two-week layoff by Kabaka Pyramid and his team.
“It’s a great feeling doing shows at this magnitude with peers you started out doing music with; sometimes it feels surreal. It was very unfortunate to see Kabaka have to pull out due to COVID, but we knew that he would be back on stage with us in a few so there was nothing to worry about,” Keznamdi told the Jamaica Observer.
He described touring during a pandemic as “a whole other ballgame with a lot of strict regulations”, including daily testing, and a lot less human interaction. But he noted that it’s just a risk he takes being on the front lines at this time.
The tour is currently in Texas, where they have three shows in the cities of Austin, Irving, and Houston starting this Thursday.
“Right now we are in the middle of nowhere on a three-day drive to Texas, where we will perform for the first time. It’s a crazy feeling seeing the audience sing the songs you wrote in a small room. People around the world love Rasta and our culture, so the reception is always good,” said Keznamdi.
So far, the performance at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado stuck out for Keznamdi.
“Definitely performing at the renowned Red Rocks right before Third World with my son dancing on stage with me. It was a profound and electrifying night and a memory I will always hold in my heart,” he noted.
At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a geological phenomenon — the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world.
Meanwhile, Keznamdi is using this tour to promote his new material.
The visuals for his latest single Justice from his Bloodline album were recently released. The five-minute “film”, directed by Ivor McCray, juxtaposes the injustices faced in the 1960s (the infamous Coral Gardens massacre) by Rastafarians who were regularly imprisoned, beaten, trimmed, exiled, and sectioned in Jamaica, to present day. It shows that this social injustice has been reawakened with present-day examples.
