On November 1, Sizzla’s oft-delayed 2003 tour finally touched down in the Washington DC area. It was worth the wait. For 90 minutes, the diminutive superstar had the jam-packed Crossroads Nightclub bouncing and singing along to some of the biggest hits of his prolific career.

Sizzla touched the stage around 1:30 a.m. to the strains of “Praise Ye Jah.” Kalonji seemed a little subdued, or even tired, early in his performance, but the audience’s energy buoyed the little big man, and by the time he was midway into his set, Sizzla was at his leaping, foot-stomping best.

Dressed in blue jeans, a fur-lined vest and a blue knit cap stretched tight over his natty, Sizzla seemed more fashion-forward than much of his audience, whose tastes leaned toward old testament turbans and robes or military fatigues. Kalonji’s stylish eyeglasses and tasteful Lion of Judah pendant completed the ensemble.
Sizzla’s set leaned heavily on material from his recent VP album Da Real Thing (see our Review), but did not compromise his scores of earlier hits. Sometimes, Sizzla just touched a verse or two of his songs as he tried to cram as many tunes as possible into his performance. He also ripped through an intense medley of his more hardcore Dancehall and slackness hits, leaving it to the audience to sing the dirty words for him.

By the time Sizzla finally sang the chorus to “Just One Of Those Days” — which has supplanted “Black Woman & Child” as his show closer — the Crossroads crowd was spent, hoarse and very satisfied.

Sizzla’s opening act was Turbulence, a promising newcomer from the Firehouse camp with a new album, Hail To The King, out on VP Records. If anything, Turbulence’s set was too brief, with a few well-received tunes burning Babylon, bigging-up vegetarianism, and appealing to the ladies. Turbulence clearly owes a lot of his personal and musical style to Sizzla, but the youth has more than enough talent and charisma to make a name for himself.

CLICK HERE for exclusive photos of Sizzla & Turbulence live at the Crossroads Nightclub