Toots and the Maytals are true pioneers. In 1968 they released the song ‘Do The Reggay’ - “reggay” being the dance you did to the ska music coming out of Jamaica at the time - and the name stuck, giving birth to a whole new style of ska-inspired music, reggae.
Keep that in mind, because that means that Toots Hibbert, front man of Toots and The Maytals has had an impact on you. Whether it’s by inspiring generations of reggae musicians that have enriched your lives, or whether it’s by inspiring that obnoxious backpacker with the dreadlocks who ruined your trip across Europe with his lack of deodorant, Toots’ body of work has shown up in your life at some point.
So how is it that 43 years after ‘Do The Reggay’ came out, Toots and the Maytals have been reduced to a soulless super-slick Toots cover band?
There was something missing on Sunday night. While the original recordings are so exciting, the current incarnation of the band failed to whip the crowd into the frenzy they should have been in. Admittedly, members of the audience were ecstatic just to be there, but a majority seemed to be forcing themselves to enjoy it. I admit I stuck it out longer than I probably would have for anyone else. “This is Toots! Why am I not enjoying this? It must be ME that is wrong. Try, Tim. TRY and enjoy it,” I would tell myself. But it wasn’t working, despite bookending the set with huge hits ‘Pressure Drop’ (the opener) and ’54-46 That’s My Number’ (the closer - if you don’t count the extended reggae jam that followed). (We'll just pretend his daughter didn't open the set with some karaoke.)
It wasn’t so much Toots himself that was bringing the gig down, it was the snooze-fest of a band that was backing him. They lacked the passion that Toots’ voice managed to strain out of its aging voice box.
Two years earlier I had watched The Specials play Toots’ 1969 classic ‘Monkey Man’ on the very same stage to a packed house of adoring fans. The energy that night was high and the house was pumping. To see the original artist play that song, I had thought, must surely be a sight to behold. It was for this reason that I wanted to see Toots in person. As a kid I listened to so many second and third wave ska bands and I knew about Toots and the Maytals from a very young age because these bands had introduced me to them. Well, now I have and I’m more baffled than ever.
Next time Toots is charging $95 for a gig, buy yourself some original 60s ska instead.
The set list for Toots and the Maytals at The Palace, Melbourne was:
Pressure Drop
Pomp and Pride
Time Tough
Sweet and Dandy
Reggae Got Soul
Louie Louie (Richard Berry cover)
Pomp and Pride (w/ Luciano)
Funky Kingston
I've Got Dreams To Remember (Otis Redding Cover)
What Do You Do?
Gimme Reggae Music All Night Long
Country Roads (John Denver cover)
Monkey Man
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Love Is Going To Let Me Down
54-46 That's My Number
Reggae Jam
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