‘Red Red Wine’ in Tonga: UB40 shares ‘The Big Love’ with South Pacific crowds

The rhythm of reggae is rolling through the South Pacific as UB40 featuring Ali Campbell kick off their global Big Love Tour, opening to sold-out crowds and emotional scenes in Tonga.

The legendary band performed to a reported crowd of 5000 at Teufaiva Stadium in Nuku'alofa on Tuesday night, marking UB40’s first show in the Kingdom in 20 years.

Latu Fonua, a PMN Tonga presenter, attended the concert and said the atmosphere felt even bigger than the numbers suggested.

“It honestly felt way more than that,” Fonua told PMN News. “How’s about the VVIP section being sold out, but they [organisers] had to bring more tables out because people were still wanting to buy tickets.”

Fonua says the crowd was largely made up of fans who grew up with UB40’s music, singing along to classics including, Cherry Oh Baby, Maybe Tomorrow, and Groovin'.

“Everyone went wild, man. For anybody aged 30 and above, every single song that they played took you back. There were people my age just screaming in the air, cracking up laughing, saying in Tongan, ‘Oh my gosh, this song reminds me of my exes’,” Fonua jokes.

The concert also featured a strong local and international Pacific lineup, with opening artists including DJ Noiz, Kennyon Brown, Fejoint, Donell Lewis, Swiss, Blkb3ry, Richard Parker, and Molo Try.

In an interview with Pacific Days, Molo Try reflected on UB40’s last appearance in Tonga in 2006 and said it was moving to see a new generation connecting with the music.

“It makes you happy to see the kids enjoy every song from UB40 and especially our Tongan artists. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”

Molo Try treated 531pi’s Facebook viewers to a sneak-peek tour of the grounds just a few hours before the concert.

Fonua says a poignant moment of the evening came when DJ Darren invited his siblings on stage, including his younger brother Suliasi Pole’o, a popular Tongan musician in the 1990s and early 2000s. Pole’o is also known to be struggling with his mental health.

“He sang his most famous songs. He’s going through a lot of mental health issues and he’s on the streets,” Fonua says.

“But they fully decked him out and there were times where they’d tap him on the shoulder to sing. As soon as he heard the song, he belted out his songs at the right time, the right pitch. You could see the siblings at the back just crying.”

Clips of Pole’o’s performance quickly circulated online, with one Instagram commenter writing: “I feel like everyone was more excited for suliasi than UB40 lol.”

The Big Love Tour continues its Pacific run on Friday, 30 January at King Charles Park in Nadi, Fiji, where UB40 will be joined by New Zealand reggae royalty, Katchafire. The band then heads to Apia Park Stadium in Sāmoa on Saturday, 31 January before launching their Aotearoa leg in Whangārei on 5 February.

The South Pacific shows are a warm-up for the band’s ambitious three-month global tour, which will take them through Grenada, the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

But for many fans in Tonga, the opening night was already unforgettable.