Beenie Man
WESTERN BUREAU:
MANY FANS of Beenie Man, most of whom are ardent supporters of the much publicised, annual show, Reggae by the Sea, held at the popular MX3 Lawn in Negril, are left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
This, as a result of the numerous glitches and mishaps that marred the show that was held on Saturday, December 29. The show was brought to a premature end by angry patrons who began hurling missiles unto the stage after they had apparently got tired of waiting for the Grammy award winning artiste. Beenie Man, who is one of the promoters, cited another engagement as well as an empty tank of gas, roadblocks, and an accident that he claimed was not his fault as reasons he did not reach the show on time. This is the fourth consecutive year that the show which is a joint promotion between Clive "Cubba" Pringle of MX3 Lawn and Beenie Man's Shocking Vibes Production.
A source close to the production, told The Gleaner "All that happened is that the show was running smoothly until about 3 o'clock. Beenie Man and Lady Saw did not turn up at the venue. The MC took a break and told the audience he would be back in five minutes. He came back in about thirty minutes' time. Patrons started getting angry."
The entertainer sought to blame the emcee for what transpired. He said that it should have been explained to the fans that he would be coming from another show, hence his late arrival, instead of making it appeared as though he was back stage. According to Beenie Man's Manger, Pat-rick Roberts, "It is unfortunate what arise from the situation. Though he tried to redeem himself by putting on a free concert for the patrons who felt cheated, it still does not augur well for the artiste. Because he knows that the latest he should reach the venue is 2:00 a.m. Although I am disappointed in him as his manager I still have to be lenient because it is the first time that he is arriving so late".
During a live interview, conducted by Coral Seas Cable Network for their local community channel, NTV, in Negril, Beenie Man apologised profusely and told viewers that he arrived late because he was performing at a charity event in Linstead St. Catherine. He said that he felt obligated to perform at the event since proceeds from that show would be given to " a bona fide friend" who had lost his home to earlier this year. During the interview many patrons, local and international, called in to express their disgust and disappointment at what they viewed as a lack of professionalism on the part of the deejay; many callers also felt that the excuses were laughable and an insult to their intelligence. However Beenie Man also expressed his own disappointments and refer to the incidents as acts of sabotage.
He said he also suffered losses, since the bus he travelled in was smashed by angry patrons, and he did not gain any thing from the show, implying that the money collected for the show was stolen. He pointed out that though Devonte, a member of the Shocking Vibes Crew gave a two-hour long performance, a gun was still pointed in his face.
However, a number of patrons spoken to by The Gleaner are of the view that the deejay is overbooking himself at the expense of his fans.
