IF BLING Dawg's 'Summer Jam' was a student taking a two-paper exam, one on performances and the other organisation, it would have passed the section on performances with flying colours. However, it would have failed miserably when it came to organisation.
The event, put on by deejay Bling Dawg, was dominated by solid sets from most of the artistes on the line-up. However, the parking and the traffic situation when it came to leaving the venue was chaotic.
For patrons attending the event after 12:30 a.m., finding a place to park posed a problem because those who had arrived earlier were allowed to park anywhere. As a result, there was an empty space at the rear of the parking lot and haphazard parking at the front.
Leaving proved to be just as problematic since The Gleaner team was unable to leave the venue up to two hours after the event. Nevertheless, the performances more than made up for the chaos that prevailed afterwards.
There were solid performances from the likes of Predator, LUST, Barrington Levy, Louie Culture, and other acts.
LUST, who had one of the longer stints on-stage, went through their catalogue of originals and covers. The quartet performed songs such as Broken Hearted Melody, High Grade and several others. They even joked among themselves and got the crowd involved. "Mi have waan bad tune wha mi waan sing. Oonu waan hear it?" one of the members asked. The crowd responded yes and he began by singing Broken Hearted Melody and shrieks from the women could be heard all over the venue.
The high point of their set came when they introduced DYCR, who came on after Richie Stephens. The Rastafarian, dressed in army fatigues, walked eagerly onto the stage reciting the first lines of Dem Man Deh. The words were enough to cause fireworks in the venue. There were more fireworks when he started Delroy and the audience were reluctant to see him go after only repeating the first line.
An energetic set from Singer J and stablemate New Kidz caused a brief stir in the venue as both climbed the speakers and removed their shirts while they performed Hotta Set A Gal.
Cameos from Galaxy P and Beeky Bailey did not leave a lasting impression and Ward 21's expletive-riddled set was easily forgotten.
However, it was Louie Culture and Predator who rescued that segment and set the tone for the rest of the night. Louie Culture, obviously aware of the limited time, did bits of his old songs. In the process he skipped from one end of the stage to the next as the audience sang along and danced while he went through his material.
Predator also turned up in excellent form. He took the enthusiastic crowd through songs such as Mad and Nah Nuh Head. His decision to perform a new song called Madly saw him starting the song at least three times as the audience gave him 'forwards' for his efforts. He ended his set with Mad, Sick, Head Nuh Good.
Barrington Levy also did well. Beginning with Black Roses, he, like Louie Culture, performed portions of his other songs before leaving.
Still outstanding performances came from the Monster Shack Crew, Determine and Norris Man, who all put the venue into a frenzied mood.
The night ended prematurely, though, when the police ordered that event come to an end at 4:15 a.m.
