Review: Sean Paul at Casselmans 12/2/11

​SEAN PAUL at CASSELMAN'S | 12/02/11

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Setting things off with joints like "Temperature," "Get Busy" and "Like Glue," Sean Paul turned Casselman's into a Jamaican dance hall during his forty minute set. Dressed in all black, save for his gentleman's tie, Sean Paul transported the entire place back to 2004.

Dance hall music, when it's done right, makes you want to go all sorts of crazy, rockin' your body about while waving Rasta colored flags around. That's pretty much what happened when "Gimme the Light" came on. For a moment, it seemed like Sean Paul was overwhelmed with how packed the place was, but he quickly caught his rhythm and commenced to giving an energetic go of it.

Sean Paul's set wasn't very intimate. There wasn't a lot of interplay between the reggae pop star and the crowd. Paul clearly came to rock, not to talk. And rock he did. By the time he got to "We Be Burning," the dance floor erupted into a full on mayhem. His voice sounded crystal clear as he went even deeper into his catalogue with cuts like "Deport Dem," "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" and "Baby Boy," his unflinchingly pop collaboration with Beyonce.

The mood toned down for a bit with "I'm Still in Love" and a few other lovers rock tunes, but the energy peaked with "Got 2 Luv U," one of his newer joints. With a seamless transition to Denver's DJ Bushy Bush, who jammed behind the decks for the rest of the night, Sean Paul was out like a thief in the night. He left the audience happy, relatively drunk and ready to go all night.

Earlier in the night, the dancing got underway with a lively performance from 2012, who, as always, brought enough choreography to employ an entire room full of dancers. Hypnautic, King Tef and company did a sort of hip-hop/house/techno music set that was energetic and entertaining if not technically supreme. Black Pegasus made a brief appearance, rocking one track that contained lyrics like, "it's not your beauty, it's your booty."

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CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

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Personal Bias: I was running around Flatbush, Brooklyn when "Like Glue" was super popular. The nostalgia alone was worth the show.
By the Way: Sean Paul's still got it.
Random Detail: When Casselman's is packed, every moment is a crescendo of party antics.