Reggae great Pato Banton has a simple message: “Stay positive and never give in.”
Banton and his band The Now Generation will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Blu Nightclub at the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in South Lake Tahoe. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door, plus fees, for guests 21 and older. Clear Conscience and Two Peace will open.
Banton, 55, was born Patrick Murray in Birmingham, England. His stepfather gave him the nickname Pato (the Jamaican equivalent of “wise owl”) and music promoters later tacked on Banton, slang for a heavyweight DJ.
Pato Banton is one of most respected reggae artists to come out of the United Kingdom. He tirelessly has promoted peace and positivity, roots rock with a spiritual bent. Banton has been on the international scene since the 1980s and wrote on his website in recent years that his career is winding down.
“As I approach the final chapter of my musical journey on Planet Earth (Urantia), my only desire is to serve Divinity through Humanity. And to all my brothers and sisters who are striving to achieve their goals in this age of materiality and secularistic insanity, my message is Please Remember to Stay Positive and Never Give In.”
South Shore roots-rock band Weapon opened for Banton three years ago at Whiskey Dick’s. Bass player Todd Christensen had kind words for the reggae legend.
“I love his conscious reggae,” Christensen told Tahoe Onstage before that show. “He’s probably, in my mind, the pioneer of taking reggae and making it a little more alternative, helping create the reggae-rock genre.”
Banton notes on Facebook that one of his concerts “is an event not to be missed, and an experience not to be forgotten.”
“Positive Vibrations with a beat to keep you on your dancing feet while Pato delivers a message that is food for the mind and soul. Many have considered his charismatic performance as live theatre where no show is alike and audience members become participants in the experience.”
