Many people went to the 20th Century in Oakley Friday to see three singers they'd never heard, some because they knew the Mighty Diamonds were legends and others because they like the atmosphere at reggae shows.

        The reggae audience is a community, which becomes apparent as soon as you enter a show. As with Deadheads, much of this community shares a similar style of dress and likes to peddle its wares.

        Compared with almost any gathering in Cincinnati, however, reggae shows are more diverse in regard to race, age and background, and this is much of the attraction.

        Noted for their sweet-sounding three-part harmonies and their strong R&B influence, the Mighty Diamonds — Donald “Tabby” Shaw, Fitzroy “Bunny” Simpson and Lloyd “Judge” Ferguson — provide a vital link between Motown and Trenchtown.

        They took the stage at 12:45 a.m., minutes after the final notes of an opening band (Conscious, from Cincinnati), and played until it was time for the club to close.

        Backing them were the Yard-Beats, a six-piece band that played with fire and precision. Drummer Derrick Stewart and bassist Daniel Thompson kept the energy level high, and the horn section knew how to swing.

        Everything gelled on such hard-edged protest songs as “Rise Up,” “4000 Years” and “Leaders.” On other material — the love song “Look in Your Eyes” was an obvious example - the tempos seemed rushed, and the band overpowered the singers.

        More importantly, the high-octane performances shifted the emphasis away from a major part of what made the Mighty Diamonds such a remarkable band in the first place.

        Their studio recordings have a warm sound full of positive energy, yet audience members hearing the band for the first time got little sense of that. Except, that is, at the end of the concert, when the band cooled down and the Mighty Diamonds delivered some of their most memorable performances.

        Decades old, the pop-laced “Pass the Kouchie” still sounded fresh. When lead singer “Tabby” Shaw launched into an old love song, “I Don't Want to Be Lonely Tonight,” ladies close to the stage voiced their strong approval.

        The warm vibes continued as the Mighty Diamonds closed with a Jamaican gospel song that segued into Jester Hairston's “Amen.”

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