Shabba stole Sashi By Garwin Davis, Staff Reporter Western Bbureau SASHI 2001 was supposed to have been the coming-out party locally for Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs and his self-styled "Bad Boy Family" but it will best be remembered for the mesmerizing performance of veteran entertainer Shabba Ranks. Having been written off by many in the music business as a "has been," the two time Grammy winner was at Sunday night's show "to prove a point." And that he did. In reminding all and sundry that he is still a major force in the music business, Shabba took the stageat about 10:30 p.m. Reeling off hits from his wide repertoire such as Wicked Inna Bed, Twice My Age, Ting-A-Ling, Mr. Loverman and Dem Bow, the original 'Grammy Kid' could do no wrong. The crowd, most not having seen him perform locally for quite sometime, couldn't get enough of him. Meticulously garbed, he danced and pranced at will, the audience was right along with him and before he finally exited the stage after his third encore, he had all but gone through all of his chart topping hits with the exception of Trailer Load which he had to "pull up" at least five times duirng his final encore. It was an amazing performance to be ranked among his best on local soil. The promoters may have blundered in not having Shabba close the show as certainly the international acts that followed, Tyrese and the much hyped P. Diddy and his Bad Boy Family, though having their moments, did not come close to generating the same level of excitement as Shabba. P. Diddy certainly had the star power but was more of a curiosity factor than anything else. In perhaps what had to be the most carefully security detailed backstage entrance ever seen at a local stage show, where what resembled a guard of honour was installed to make way for the onstage entry of 'His Diddyness', the entertainer arrived on stage seemingly bigger than life and for a fleeting moment took command of the audience, a position, he however, was unable to sustain throughout as not surprisingly, he fizzled at the end - he certainly did not have the required ammunition and should not have closed the show. Tyrese worked a reasonably good set but wasn't exceptional while Case, a good voice and yes, a budding talent, but may have overstayed his welcome on stage. Kevon Edmonds, though, was a different story. He delivered a powerful set that had the audience holding on to his every line. Actor Steven Seagal, a surprise addition to this year's lineup, had a daunting task but was rescued by familiar allies. It may have been asking too much to try to get a Jamaican audience to take him seriously as a musician which probably explained the early lukewarm response which he got. That was to change quickly as he was joined by Rita Marley to assist with a rendition of Redemption Song and later Beenie Man who did a number of songs with him. Local acts TOK and Lady Saw performed creditably. Missy Elliot, whose close friend, singer Aaliyah, died over the weekend in a plane crash, did not perform.
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