Reggae giants UB40 wow audience at Expo 2020 Dubai

DELROY CONSTANTINE SIMMS
3 min readMar 15, 2022

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DUBAI, March 2022 — British reggae legends UB40, featuring Ali Campbell, got the good-vibes party rocking on Saturday evening when they hit the open-air stage at Sustainability Plaza.

Backed by a seven-piece band, the show aptly kicked off with Here I Am. Celebrating some of the group’s biggest hits, including (I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You; I Got You Babe; Cherry Oh Baby; and Red, Red Wine, the band also performed new music.

The international crowd of all ages swayed in time to the hits, while smart phone flashlights shone in the air for Many Rivers to Cross. When the Expo fireworks started at 2225 GST, the band belted out Guns in the Ghetto, with an impressive solo by drummer Jimmy Brown followed soon afterwards.

UB40 are one of the most commercially successful reggae acts of all time in terms of record sales (over 70 million), chart positions and touring schedule. During their three-decade long career, they have been performing sell-out shows worldwide and headlining the Reggae Sunsplash music festival in Jamaica, as well as spreading reggae to Russia, South America, etc.

They have performed twice at the Night of the Proms, in 2000 and in 2006. The band, which formed in 1978, has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and achieved success around the world, including Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Album four times.

UB40 have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group.

In October 2011, UB40 were commemorated with a Heritage Award, a ceremonial plaque from the UK’s PRS for Music. A plaque was placed at the Hare & Hounds Pub in Birmingham, England, the location where they played their first gig.

Delroy Constantine-Simms

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