NYC Carifest 2008 - CANCELLED!!! One Year after 2007 gay protest

The Reggae Compassionate Act, Sizzla cancelling European Tours, Sponsors defecting leftnright, decades running shows disappearing overnight...things that make you go hmmmmm right??? If not, it should. I hate to be a one to say I told you so..., BUT, the truth just is. It seems what started in the West done str8 saddled to the East.

Let me honestly just say... I saw this coming from at least 2003, the first year Capleton got banned from his annual, highly anticipated, presence at the former Reggae In the Park, another long running show that exists no more. It used to arrive every summer to S.F.'s Golden Gate Park, where enthralled thousands of Capleton's formerly adoring fans used to wait all year for him to bless us with his gift. He headlined at least three years running, every year, and amidst zero complaints. He always slaked our thirst for that raggamuffin roughness...never once dissappointing, and then not only was he cancelled, but after falling attendance and garbage pail line ups in the post capelton years, so was the show.

We recently lost Reggae on the River, though their lineups could be hit or miss near the end of their run too. It's replacement, Reggae Rising, put Sizzla on this year to help, but unlike Reggae on the River in the past, which nearly sold out a year in advance, they still got plenty tickets to sell less than a month out now. I want to go just to see how Sizzla perform in this new RCA climate. These ARE the F-n dayz.

With so much powerful inspiration how is it no one is taking this on. I think it has to begin with the born Jamaicans. It's your thing, on a level, But you know you got major backative, myself included, anyway it goes down.

This Gay v. Reggae thing has now steamrolled around the globe and landed squarely in NYC, and yet there is still no organized, effective, collective response from the Massive itself to deal wid the matter proper. What gives? I was sure that when this crud hit in places like New York, with its large nos. of WIs, we would start to see sumthin go. It early still, since the shit just hit the fan. I guess people there just startin to really analyze what's really goin down.
I'll just say take a page from the Bay Area experience, the activities of which I've been profiling in these blogs and otherwise for years now. Act big NOW, or, like us in the gay Yay, get used to seein groups like Slightly Stoopid, and other hippieish imitations of the real thing, start replace the people's choice artists we'd all prefer to be seeing in regular rotation.

See Press Release Below (where they try to blame it on the dang weather...yeah, right.):

It is with enormous regret that Reggae-Carifest N.Y., Inc. announces the cancellation of the Carifest C.A.R.E.S. AIDS Awareness Benefit Concert for Keep A Child Alive scheduled for Sunday July 6th at the USTA National Tennis Center. Due to the economic recession and very bad weather forecasts for the day of the concert, very few tickets for the concert have been sold. Accordingly, the only conclusion is that the concert must be cancelled. Moving forward with the concert under these circumstances will in no way benefit the cause. Reggae-Carifest N.Y., Inc. apologizes to all patrons who purchased tickets and assures that full refunds will be made. All ticket holders can return to point of purchase to receive a full refund.Thank you,Carifest C.A.R.E.