TriniView.com Article
Event Date: September 30, 2006
Posted: October 04, 2006
The Carifesta IX Soca and Reggae Concert, in keeping with the tradition of many of the other Carifesta IX events, began late and failed to showcase all the artistes scheduled to perform. The advertised time for the show was at 9.30pm but at the designated time sound checks were still in the works which agitated the anxious audience.
The crowd that turned out at this particular event was numerous and the venue, the Jean Pierre Complex, was filled with people, mainly youths, from all over the Caribbean. The artistes that were scheduled to perform were numerous but because of the late start of the show and the fact that the programme was not extended to accommodate these artistes, many of them - some of whom had traveled from as far as Jamaica - left without performing and extremely disappointed.
Many of the artistes that did perform stayed very long on stage which prevented some of the artistes from performing at all and which also cut short the latter performances. This type of scenario has become commonplace in events in Trinidad and Tobago and many artistes, especially the lesser known ones, have suffered as a result.
When the show did start, the audience was pleased to be greeted by the sounds of Isaac Blackman and the Love Circle. In fact, the crowd immediately rushed to the front of the stage to see the artistes perform in full view. The popular hit, "What a Wonderful Feeling," was appreciated by all who sang along with the Blackman's and they danced jubilantly to the tune. The Blackman's also gave the audience a taste of some of the songs from their new album.
Other artistes who performed and were well-received by the crowd at the Jean Pierre Complex were: Roderick Gordon, H2o Flo, Michelle Sylvester, Mr. Vybe, Miss Alisha, Nyer George and Iwer George.
The band Jabae from Barbados also had a very energetic performance singing some of their original work as well as songs from other Caribbean artistes. However, their attempt to patronize the audience by stating that Trinidad had the best-looking women as compared to Bajan women and women of the rest of the Caribbean was received with a cold shoulder.
The artiste Multi-symptom, the man with the sweet voice, gave a truly grand performance and entertained the audience to the max. According to him, he came to the Complex not only to entertain but also to "culture" and to "edify" the public. His performance was controversial though, especially with his open support and call for the legalization of marijuana. His performance was cut short as a result, much to the disappointment of those in attendance.
Other grand performances came from the energetic and powerful Soca artiste Maximums Dan (who had quickly quelled the crowd after a scuffle had broken out) and Iwer George who is celebrating 19 years in the Soca business.
Another hit of the night was the artist, 'Baby Killer', the Soca and Groovy Soca Monarch of Grenada, who gave a hot and raunchy performance. During his performance he invited a member of the audience to help display some of his wild antics on stage. The crowd, particularly the female fans, screamed and got wild after he displayed his dance skills to them. All performances ended promptly at 2am which would have been perfect timing had all the artistes carded to perform executed their presentations. Artistes at the back of the stage were understandably upset about the turn of events and some of the organizers embarrassingly tried to explain away and justify their inefficiencies.
Carifesta IX Soca and Reggae Concert in pictures:
www.triniview.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=98334
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