By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Singer Gregory Isaacs flanked by fans at the Heineken Startime show on Saturday at Mas Camp Village, St Andrew. - Carlington Wilmot /Freelance Photographer
THE FIRST party in the Heineken Startime 16 season may have been put on ice for seven days, but, if anything, the delay gave the vintage concert series time to pop the cap perfectly.
Michigan and Smiley's legendary 'promoter an im idren' would have been well within their rights to laugh 'tra-la-la-la-la', followed by a 'whoh hoh ho' or two, much like Frankie Paul got thousands to do, as the Mas Camp Village on Oxford Road in New Kingston was corked on Saturday night.
With eight singers for 16 years of Startime, each seemed set on giving their full share of an average of two years' performance value, with Lloyd Parkes and We The People providing the music for all. Ken Lazarus was easy rocking on Cecilia and Hail The Man, with 'legsman' Roy Dean joining him to flash nifty feet on a ska instruction closure, Lazarus' grey locks bouncing against the back of his red shirt as he showed a nimble pair as well.
THE OPENING
The Clarendonians worked a set that had Peter Austin coming out first, decked out in cream, sporting a beam and having to 'wheel' as the crowd reacted to the opening line of You Can't Love Another.
The night's first living legend award was presented to them by Don Topping, who co-emceed the show with Ron Burke of Mystic 1780 Radio out of Miami, in honour of 41 quality years in music.
Grave injustice was done to Life Is Just For Living, the band starting out slow but then sprinting where easy jogging was required, even as Ernie Smith emerged on stage, singing the classic in good time. A relaxed jockey and a finicky horse are a sure recipe for a tumble and they had to return to the starting gates, Smith carrying it off with a few nimble steps to stage front and centre, a beam and a query of 'how yu doing?'
Things were better the second time around, the thousands then rocked to Duppy or Gunman, Pitta Patta, Ben Down and One Dream. Smith's set finished with an exquisite moment which combined a quality song, a quality line, a quality voice and timing. Smith paused after the line 'pain in my heart' from I Can't Take It, strolled through a patch of stage smoke, touched fists with the saxophone player as the screams went up, held the moment and then voice and music came together for a rousing climax.
"I remember the days of penitentiary", Gregory Isaacs intoned as he came on stage and they roared. His dark jacket stayed in place through Number One, Tune In and Front Door, but came off as the heat rose with All I Have Is Love. One shirt tail and his red tie flapped on Love Overdue, the lady in blue returning with a friend in orange as they tag teamed the 'Cool Ruler', one taking off his black hat and fanning him in time to the music.
ENCORE
An encore was demanded after Night Nurse, Isaacs singing 'dem still want more' as he came back with Hard Drugs.
Band and singer were out of sync on Tribal War, as John Holt started his opening song midway through the first verse, but the sheer power of the classic was not to be denied, as its slowed down, extended rendition scored heavily. Neither was the depth of his catalogue to be questioned, as Holt and Lloyd Parkes and We The People moved from song to song with minimum or no talk, Stick By Me, Ali Baba, Love I Can Feel and a snippet of Let It Be moving the crowd.
There was amusement around the very back as, when Holt enquired 'if I were a carpenter and you were a lady, would you marry me anyway?' and one animated fan chanted "I do, I do, I do!", doing a 'jumping Jill' with each affirmation. By the time Holt hit the closing Tide Is High, only a break could follow the pace. A living legend award to Isaacs punctuated the break.
Carlton Manning resumed with a 'one song' in Love Me Forever, making way for The Melodians, decked in white and sounding sweet. They did an extended set, the harmony hitting home on Come On Little Girl and Get Along With You Now, hitting a peak with Little Nut Tree before being presented with a living legend award.
Then it was time for Frankie Paul. He started calmly enough with Worries In The Dance, cutting to On Top of the World, then moving on to Kushumpeng, which ignited Mas Camp.
GOING GOSPEL
The hits led up to Sarah, then Mr. FP went gospel, driving the audience berserk with snatches of A Little More Oil, How Great Thou Art, It Soon Be Done and Sweet Jesus, as the 'halleluiajahs' and shouts of 'preach it bredda Frankie' went up, with many a 'tun yu roll' being done.
Alton Ellis closed to a reducing audience, causing many to leave with a song on their lips as he did Willow Tree, Girl I've Got A Date, I'm Still In Love With You and Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. As many who left, hordes still remained to sing along to Let Him Try and the closing Dancecrasher.
