Destra, left, and Sanelle Dempster of the group Blue Ventures on-stage last Sunday at Chukka Cove, St. Ann. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer THERE WERE several other soca-oriented parties and sessions happening all over the North Coast on Sunday, but Chukka Cove was still the place to be.
The St. Ann venue was filled by thousands of soca-loving party-goers, who have for years made the event the highlight of their carnival season. With a line-up that included Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Blue Ventures, Sanelle Dempster, Rupee, Iwer George and Square One - it is not hard to see why.
The icing on the cake came in the form of two dancehall heavyweights, Wayne Marshall and Bling Dawg, who were there to represent Jamaica's indigenous music.
The show started at approximately 7:40 p.m. with Norma Brown-Bell bestowing condolences to the family of Paul 'Pablo' Stewart, Byron Lee's brother who passed on recently. Brown-Bell also used the opportunity to warn the more exuberant fans that there was to be "No spraying of water on the person in front of, beside and behind you." Spraying of water has become an unnecessary and annoying element of soca parties in recent times
She also told female patrons that there were now numerous 'porter-loos'- portable toilets to the left of the venue. She implored the men to make their way towards the ocean and 'do the best they could'.
Then it was time for the show.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires with front men Oscar B, Jomo and Cedric Poitier, kicked things off with the introduction to Wanski's More Gyal. They then moved into Wave Yuh Flag and Mad Man.
Next it was time to do all the new dancehall moves. With that, the singers and patrons went through their paces of the 'Pon Di River', 'Pon Di Bank', 'Row Like A Boat', 'Higher Level', 'Drive By' and 'Signal the Plane'. Of course, being Easter, there was the new dance, the 'Easter Bunny'. This entailed jumping around like a rabbit.
The almost hour-long set was completed with Burning Flames' I Command You and Square One's Togetherness.
After a half-hour intermission, during which a guest deejay from Trinidad named GG played the latest carnival hits, Blue Ventures took the stage and turned in one of their best performances yet in Jamaica. In a high energy performance they reeled off songs like Mad Man, Wave, More Gyal, Trini to di Bone and Hold On Me.
During the performance, Sanelle Dempster, one of the lead female singers in the band, asked the women in the audience, "How many chances yuh tink a man should get? Should it be two chances?"
The women responded with an emphatic 'No!'.
"Should it be one chance?", Dempster asked again.
"No", the women again responded.
"So, is none?" she then asked.
To which the women all screamed, "Yes."
She then sang "Tell them man does come, man does go." That was the cue for her to sing her hit song, Chances.
Blue Ventures ended their set with a version of Burning Flames' Mash It Up.
Shortly after 10:00 p.m. Jerry D brought on the self-styled 'Trinidad's outside son' Rupee. He thrilled Chukka Cove. Starting off with Jump, he went through a string of songs which included This Is Festival, That's Where I'll Be, Blame It On Di Music and his recent hit, Tempted to Touch. Byron Lee and the Dragonaires soon returned but with special guests in the form of Wayne Marshall and Bling Dawg.
Marshall was on first and performed his hit on the Diwali rhythm Overcome, before letting the audience know he was not alone. "Is not me alone, mi an mi fren' dem inna di place to you know." Bling Dawg then appeared shouting of "Louder and rowdier."
The cameos did not stop there. Machel Montano also appeared briefly doing a line of Kevin Lyttle's Turn Me On.
However, that song was the domain of Roger George. When he performed it one would have thought it was written for him. George also included in his stint 50 Cent's In Da Club. The crowd apparently loved it.
When it was Iwer George's turn, he managed to move the crowd somewhat with songs like Home, Wave Yuh flag and Do the Iwer.
Square One closed the show with a mix of hit soca and dancehall songs.
Running through soca songs like Move, Faluma, Togetherness, Pokemon and Deejay Ride, they kept the crowd moving. However, they really endeared themselves to the Jamaican audience when they reeled off the hits from the Diwali rhythm. Among the numbers they performed were Assassin's Roughest and Toughest, Elephant Man's Elephant Message and Wayne Wonder's No Letting Go. Square One was the perfect end to a fun-filled night.
