Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
Barrrington Levy and Shaggy perform on stage at Dance All Rock, held on Saturday in Nain, St. Elizabeth. - PHOTO BY NATHANIEL STEWART
ALL THAT started well did not end well at Barrington Levy's 'Dance All Rock' 2K5, held in Nain, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica last Saturday night.
Angry patrons took out their disappointment by hurling bottles and other missiles unto the stage at around 5:30 a.m. when acts that were promised to them were not forthcoming.
Missing in action were the likes of Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Gentleman (who was reportedly sick and in hospital), Assassin, Turbulence and a few others, but it was quite clear whether or not it was Bounty or Beenie whom the people really wanted to see.
Earlier acts on stage, however, had managed to create quite a stir, as the likes of TOK, Fantan Mojah, Nanko, Pat Kelly, Coco Tea, Luciano, Kris Kelly, Ghost and others held the audience spellbound in the early stages of the live performances.
Even Rising Star winner Christopher Martin and runner-up Noddy Virtue received overwhelming receptions, as they too had a small piece of the action.
WILD APPLAUSE FOR SHAGGY
It was, however, when promoter/artiste Barrington Levy took the stage some minutes to three in the morning and did a short stint, including songs like Murderer and Living Dangerously before bringing on Shaggy, that patrons went wild, as the two performed two combinations, before Shaggy took over fully.
"A long time mi waan fi come a Sainty come lick a show," Shaggy announced, as he went into songs like, Angel, It Wasn't Me, Boombastic, Hey Sexy Lady and Wild 2 Nite.
Females in the audience could hardly control themselves as one even attempted to climb unto the high stage just to get closer.
At 3:30 a.m., the sound of "Money Oh!" was greeted with an eruption of screams as Macka Diamond appeared on stage to do a couple of her more popular songs, including Wi Nuh Chase Money, before she teamed up with Black Er to do their hit single Bun Him. The two were then joined by Lady G, who performed Woman Intuition and Return Sender.
"Mek mi hear uno seh more fire!" Yes, you guessed it, at 4 a.m. Capleton the 'Fireman' took centre stage and as the lights around the venue dimmed, the lighters automatically were taken out as Capleton burnt up the venue with some fiery tunes. The songs, largely from the mid to late 90's, included Fire Time, Who Dem and others.
After the 'fireman' left the stage, performances by Perfect, Gyptian and Bascom X still managed to maintain the attention of the crowd, but those acts would be the last for the morning, as patrons lost their patience after MC Ron Muchette apologised for the absence of Gentleman and Beenie Man, who was said to have been on his way for the longest time, but still could not show. There was no word from Bounty Killer.
A very disappointed Barrington Levy was moved to tears, as he could not believe the fate that his show had suffered.
"Dem embarrass mi, dem dis mi" Levy said, referring to the artistes who were 'no shows', adding, "the people dem have every right fi react di way dem did."
However, as The Gleaner team left the venue, a small gathering was seen by the Texaco gas station, a short distance from the venue, and upon investigation, it turned out to be Beenie Man and his entourage.
In explaining his late arrival, Beenie told The Gleaner that he was actually coming from another show in St. Ann and got lost on the way.
"Wi deh a St. Ann a one nex show an when wi a come wi mek a wrong turn, couldn't find a weh. Mi jus come an mi si people a lef suh mi nuh bodda come in a di venue, but I was here, no disrespect but I was late," Beenie explained.
