Jamaican dancehall soul artiste Cherine Anderson continued on her increasingly impressive singing career over the weekend by performing at Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States. The three-day festival was held in the Indio desert before crowds of more than 60,000 that included some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

cherine-anderson

Performing last Saturday night with variety band Spearhead, Anderson wowed the patrons, some of whom had never seen her perform before. On the night, her set with Spearhead was shortened by what she described as “time constraints” but still impressed the massive crowd with songs such as Rude Boy Back in Town, Little Bit a Riddim, Kingston State of Mind and Say Hey (I Love You). She opened the show with the Bob Marley classic Redemption Song. “Most of these festivals do not have a reggae presence, or interest, so the promoters are sometimes (mildly surprised) with the very positive response,” she said.

Also performing on the night were Joss Stone, M.I.A. and Thievery Corporation, who were among the more outstanding acts.

legendary Paul McCartney

The legendary Paul McCartney, with whom Anderson has worked in the past, performed last Friday, but she was unable to see him. “I discovered late Friday night that he would be at the festival,” she said. “By then he had already performed. It would have been great to see him live though.”

Anderson was very impressed by the energy and the sheer magnitude of the event even if the conditions made things a bit uncomfortable. “This is by far the largest US music festival I have been to, so just the magnitude of the stage, the crowd and detail to everything was very impressive,” she revealed. “We were in the middle of the desert so the temperature was hotter than anything I have ever experienced in Jamaica, with little or no wind. There were four to five live stages all happening at the same time, but none disrupted the other and it was all outdoors.

The most amazing thing for me was going back in the crowd to meet the supporters after the show. They were so energetic and happy even after standing in the sun and heat for hours. They were also very appreciative of the music. It was truly a blessing to perform at Coachella’s because it is a rock/pop festival, so to share my dancehall soul vibe to such enthused supporters was truly special.”

Source: JamaicaStar