By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer 
Tristan Palmer living across the road from Sherriff's HQ. - File
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHEN A dance is held on Delamare Avenue, off Waltham Park Road in Kingston, it is inevitable that music by entertainers who are very familiar to the people in attendance will be played.
After all, singer Pinchers listed a slew of entertainers who 'run the 13', namely Kingston 13, the area that Sherriff's HQ's Friday night party got jumping in the early hours of Saturday morning, was held.
And at least one lived very close to Sherriff's, as selector Killer Blacks, whose celebration affair it was, pointed out.
"Da entertainer, a cross de road him live!" Killer Blacks said, introducing Tristan Palmer's Entertainment. On the same rhythm, another Kingston 13 entertainer was next.
"Lady Ann! Julian Drive!" Blacks said, as Informer rocked the crowd.
Then there was a 'forward' for Dennis Brown's Your Love's Got A Hold On Me.
Killer Blacks was in an upbeat mood on Friday night. He enjoyed the presence of sound system standouts Wee Pow of Stone Love, Jimmy Metro of Metromedia and Father Wally of Inner City, as well as Black Prince, High Vibes, Atlantic One from St. Mary and Bass Odyssey, the four sounds which played at the dance.
MUSICAL VARIETY
It was a setting from before dancehall moved uptown and upscale, the large iron gates open wide to welcome all who would come and the speakers pushed against the walls of the concrete floored, open roof, space inside.
There was very little by way of 'bling' and the focus seemed to be more on the music than the 'profile'.
There was a lot of music, with variety, to enjoy, Killer Blacks marshalling the dance throughout and keeping it very tight with half-hour segments for each sound system. And the 'bruck out' girls certainly turned out.
On the stroke of midnight, a well-tuned Black Prince played Shabba's Respect and proceeded to drop selections from respected deejays, including Yellowman with Zunguzunguguzunguzeng and Josey Wales' Leggo Mi Han'.
There was a pair of dancehall classics back to back in U-Roy chanting "long time Jah Jah wan' yu an' yu jus' feel fi come" and Icho Candy's Captain Selassie.
High Vibes took things on a disco note, promising to answer something that Killer Blacks had said about them earlier. The women especially bopped to Forget Me Not, Last Night The Deejay Saved My Life and Another One Bites The Dust.
Third World's Try Jah Love hit the spot, one young man controlling a strip of space just in front of the gate with energetic skanks.
High Vibes also tipped in some soul, which went down well with Put That Woman First, Guilty and Love Me Just A Little Bit Longer. Their reply to the talk that they had promised to tackle big sounds like Stone Love and Metromedia whenever they played with them was to play a dub of Carry Go Bring Come.
Atlantic One took time to 'feel out' the Black Prince sound system, starting with Psalm 23 from Morgan Heritage and Buju Banton. The Beres Hammond triple shot of One Dance, She Loves Me Now and Groovy
Thing went down very well and, with the sound system now properly 'felt out' they dropped I-Wayne on dub singing 'soun' bway no waan live up in love' to thunderous response.
It was inevitable that the St. Mary sound would have the St. Mary deejay on dub.
Capleton contributed Small World, Or Wha? and Mi Deh Ya. Richie Spice announced Dancehall A Run Red and Jah Cure's Longing For turned the dance over.
Bass Odyssey made their intentions clear from the very outset, bigging up all the girls whose breas' stiff like spike heel'. They addressed the inner being before the flesh, though with Sizzla's Rise To The Occasion and Can't Keep A Good Man Down being effective.
LYRICAL CELEBRATION
Killer Blacks hailed his producer friend from England who had come just for the session, before Fantan Mojah had all hands up to Hail The King.
It was then party time and a change of pace with Footloose, the women enjoying Turn Me On and Tempted To Touch, while there was a touch of soca in Hol' It Dung and De Water Running.
With the waistlines loosened and sample talk about the women having them screaming, it was time to get down to business with the lyrical celebration of the dancehall's favourite stance with Backshot and Position, the women in the streets hoisting ample posteriors skywards for public viewing as time moved on to the downside of 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
