UB40 In Portland

Can't say that I've closely followed the saga between former UB40 singer Ali Campbell (and subsequently, keyboardist Mickey Virtue) with their band-mates over management issues. This split, which occurred just over a year ago, has sadly degenerated into a mud-slinging match between brothers and long time childhood friends as well as fans of the band. Reading the message board forums between the two camps about the problems tonight was frustrating to this long-time fan; the fact that this has happened to such a long-running band that was based on the equality of all members of the band has made this situation worse. Here's to hoping that time will eventually heal all wounds; in the long run, maybe the realization that the shortness of our time here on earth might bring about some reconciliation.



At any rate, the six remaining members of the band enlisted Duncan Campbell (brother of Ali and Robin, just to add another twist in the current controversy) as vocalist, starting their 2009 world tour here in the upper left hand corner of the U.S.



Given the relative low commercial profile of the band in the U.S. over the last decade, I'm sure that there were quite a few people who showed up at the Crystal Ballroom on Monday who had no idea about the events of the past year. The good news is that Duncan did an excellent job in the spotlight, and as always in past performances, vocal performances from Astro, Earl and Norman helped to show that this collective is indeed a band , one that is at its best when working together.



Can't recall the exact set list, but there was a nice selection of tracks from their career, starting with the opener One In Ten. Other tracks played were Tyler, King, Rat In Mi Kitchen, Wear You To The Ball, Homely Girl, Impossible Love, Higher Ground, Sing Our Own Song, Reggae Music, Baby, Don't Break Me Heart, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Can't Help Falling In Love, Johnny Too Bad, Cherry Oh Baby, Many Rivers To Cross, Red Red Wine, Kingston Town, and Sweet Sensation, along with a couple of others I can't quite recall at the moment. They also performed a decent selection of new material from the album 24/7, all of it sounding excellent.



The band certainly seemed to be in excellent spirits, there certainly was an energy and appreciation that the audience seemed to sense, and which was hopefully returned to the band, from my vantage point, that certainly was the case as everybody was singing and dancing along with their particular favourites (tip of the cap to the gal next to me who was delirious over hearing the opening to Higher Ground. That was a highlight for me as well, along with a stellar Kingston Town and their glowing, almost religious, take of Many Rivers To Cross. The trio of horn players, led as always by Brian Travers, were swinging and swaying with the beat, singing along with the songs when they weren't playing; it's that kind of enthusiasm that has endured the band to its fans over the years, one that I've been able to appreciate over the years (this was the fourth time I've seen the band, the last time being the wonderful gig at the Rose Gardens back in 1993).



I took a couple of pictures, most of them not that good, but I do like this one of Robin.


I've also joined the crowd in adding my own craptastic videos taken at the gig, the first of them being Kingston Town, the second being Red Red Wine, the latter song being cut short about two thirds of the way through as I ran out of digital space, but at least we get to hear most of Astro's toasting. As always, one should go out and support the artists in question, in this case, that means going out and seeing the band on their tour and buying the latest CD. As for me, I'm one for hoping that the nasty legal concerns of the band will resolve itself in a logical and relatively painless manner, this bitter division is not something that lends itself to a band founded on unity. One love to all.



EDIT: videos not cooperating at the moment, I'll try again tomorrow.