Patrons in a jubilant mood at 'A St. Mary Mi Come From' at James Bond Beach, in Oracabessa, St. Mary, on Sunday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer WHEN THE versatile performance of deejay Capleton came to an end at 2:25 a.m. at James Bond Beach, in Oracabessa, St. Mary on Sunday, it signalled a climactic end to 'A St. Mary Mi Come From'.
The event was almost flawless and things ran smoothly for the most part. The production was good and the band changes occurred at rapid speed due to the time constraints.
However, the downside to the third staging of 'A St. Mary Mi Come From' was the extremely short performances which were caused by the organisers adherence to the 2:00 a.m. shut-off time.
In fact, the brief sets obviously disgusted both the artistes and patrons alike. That displeasure was probably summed up best by Spragga Benz, whose sharp remarks saw both 'baldheads' and Rastafarians alike waving flags throughout the venue.
"How Babylon fi tell wi fi lock off 2 o'clock?" he asked. "Wha dem want wi fi do? Go a wi bed?" he asked, as he started a new social commentary song.
GOOD PERFORMACES
That issue aside, it was a night when the audience would have to search hard to find one bad performer. From the likes of Nadine Sutherland and Lymie Murray in the early part of the night to the flexible Capleton and the staunch Luciano at the close, everyone was impressive.
In what could be dubbed the '10-minute segment', the singers showcased their material.
Nadine Sutherland, Yogie and Lenn Hammond all did their best to please the crowd with their more popular efforts and the audience welcomed it, waving flags and displaying the occasional fireworks. Lymie had enough energy for everyone in that segment and just when James Bond Beach thought he was tired, he welcomed Natural Black and the energy reached a new level.
When it was felt that everyone would be comfortable with only a 10-minute set, Christini voiced his displeasure.
"Dis is mi first big show in a St. Mary and dem a give mi only two tune after mi hear seh St. Mary people love me," he remarked. Nevertheless, he managed to do two full numbers and bits and pieces of about three more before leaving.
LADIES TURNED OUT WELL
Pam Hall and Tanya Stephens focused mainly on social commentary. Pam Hall with her songs Unity and Hard To Be A Woman gained applause and an a capella rendition of Perfidia for the MC Norma Brown-Bell capped off her sweet set. Tanya Stephens got the cheers going and flags waving with the thought-provoking numbers What A Day and Turn The Other Cheek.
Coco Tea and Chuck Fender closed the segment with great performances.
Thereafter, the sets were drastically cut as Jah Mason, Spragga Benz, Louie Culture, Culture Knox, Barrington Levy, Determine and Ninja Man all performed for an average of two minutes.
It was Bushman who pushed the time back to 10 minutes and the patrons still wanted to hear more from the singer when he was through. The crowd favourites Lighthouse, Fire Pon A Weak Heart and The Arms Of A Woman were the numbers that brought the house down.
See The Star for details about Luciano's performance.
