Tuesday Service pays tribute to Peter Tosh ahead of earthstrong

The sounds of reggae fills The Compound off Molynes Road every Tuesday night with live performances by the Dub Squad band during what is known as Tuesday Service. This week, the event honoured the late reggae legend Peter Tosh, celebrating his life, legacy, and music ahead of his 81st birthday, which will be marked with ToshFest on Sunday, October 19.

Though it got off to a late start, this week’s edition of Tuesday Service was different from the usual. The Dub Squad band played Tosh classics such as Rastafari Is, Stepping Razor, and Pick Myself Up, filling the crowd with familiar rhythms and reminding patrons of the lasting impact of his music.

The evening attracted an impressive mix of reggae’s young stars and stalwarts, including Iotosh and Tarrus Riley. What made the night even more special was the presence of a younger crowd, many of whom were discovering Tosh’s catalogue live for the first time. Heads nodded, feet stomped, and voices sang along as if these songs were their own generational anthems.

“I actually really love this,” Niambe Tosh, the youngest of Peter Tosh’s 10 children, told The Gleaner as she observed the lively scene from Tuesday Service.

“This is my first time here and seeing the demographic that’s here. It’s a younger crowd. A lot of the events we do are for the older crowd, and those who know his music and love him,” she added.

“This event, however, bridges the gap between generations. A lot of our events usually cater to older fans who knew him personally, but tonight, it’s about introducing his legacy to a new audience. It’s about planting seeds for them to learn, to research, and to feel the power of his message,” Niambe explained.

As chairperson of the Peter Tosh Foundation and overseer of her father’s estate and museum, Niambe expressed her gratitude that The Compound provided such a meaningful platform.

“We just want people to understand that his message of truth, unity, and authenticity still matters,” she added.

For Tom ‘Panic’ Jones, CEO of The Compound and host of Tuesday Service, the tribute was both necessary and overdue. “Peter Tosh is one of our legends, and honestly, he doesn’t always get the same regard as some of his peers,” he told The Gleaner.

“So when the foundation reached out to us, we were like, yeah, of course, 100 per cent, we’ll support them in any which way we can. The musicians, when they heard they would be playing Peter Tosh’s music, everybody was hyped up and just ready to go. And, I am more than happy to be at one of the places where they can plant a seed and watch it grow.”

With much of the crowd from the younger demographic, Panic made his hope for the night clear: “What I hope they take away is that if you make good music, it will last way past your time [and] as time goes by, you will reap some great benefits. Because Peter Tosh [has been] gone a while and we’re still celebrating him today, same thing with Bob [Marley] and other legends.”

Keneil Delisser, producer at The Compound and drummer for Dub Squad, echoed the same sentiment. “Most of the patrons here tonight are young, and some may not even know much about Peter Tosh,” he noted. “But that’s why we do it, to honour his birthday coming up next week and to remind everyone what he stood for. Tosh represented fearlessness, being true to yourself, radically and unapologetically. That’s what we hope people take away.”

ToshFest will take place at the Peter Tosh Memorial Garden in Westmoreland. Advertised as a free event, it will feature performances from Beenie Man and Andrew Tosh, one of Peter Tosh’s sons, among others.

o’brian.wynter@gleanerjm.com