Gordon Williams, Contributor

The French Legionnaires dressed for the theme of the event at the French Connection party - the premium ultra-inclusive party, at the C&W Golf Academy, New Kingston, in June. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

FLORIDA:

Sizzla Kolanji's bold rush to squeeze in a quality set as time agonisingly ran out, fizzled with disappointment at the 8th Annual International Caribbean Music Festival, leaving the crowd largely unfulfilled as they exited Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami just past midnight on Saturday.

Make no mistake, the large gathering desperately wanted Sizzla, after the show had buckled under the weight of low-key and disjointed performances caused largely by lengthy band changes and too much recorded music that sucked the essential vibes from what should have been a rocking affair.

Tight restrictions

The firebrand was eager to deliver, but tight restrictions at the venue demanded a midnight conclusion to the fest. And after Sizzla had crammed together a teasing, yet inspired performance, briskly skipping through appetisers on hit after hit in less than 15 minutes to close the show in overtime, the sound was abruptly cut, and he had to leave the stage with only a wave to remind the crowd of what might have been if he had more time.

Even with abbreviated versions of Solid As A Rock and You Got To Be Strong Sizzla had the fair-sized crowd up and bouncing from their slumber, lighters flashing and flags from many different Caribbean nations, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia among them, waving wildly on a balmy South Florida night soothed by a gentle breeze from Biscayne Bay.

It is a pity the rest of the line-up could not generate the same pace on Miami's carnival weekend. But with the scarce time available to them, it was hardly their fault. Morgan Heritage, among the most talented bands around, didn't really have a chance to settle in their role as lead-in for Sizzla. The crowd had already been dazed by the gap in stage appearance between Heritage and their predecessor Wayne Wonder, which robbed the event of the rousing climax many expected.

Right out of the box Heritage delivered a stinger, Don't Haffi Dread, and the crowd merely stirred, but only briefly, and follow-ups such as the catchy Best Friend, never really got the response it deserved. Their set was painfully short too and never got a firm foothold with the audience.

Before Heritage, Wonder had slipped in a neat package, igniting a lively set with Searching and Forever Young and capping it with his monster hit No Letting Go, again waking a crowd lulled by the extended band changes and annoyed by the excessively bright lights that shone directly in their faces from backstage. "Time is the enemy," Wonder said, as he too appeared hurried to complete a set.

Annoying sounds

But fans, especially those at the rear of the venue, also had other problems to contend with, including the loud, annoying sounds coming from an area near vendors' row, which made listening to the on-stage performances even more confusing. How that was allowed to continue unabated is still a mystery.

In between, other Jamaican performers fizzled too. Red Rat, celebrating 10 years in the music business and touting the release of a new album early next year, complained about timing elements of the show as well. Yet, maybe he had too much time onstage, which could have gone to the deserving, but deprived bigger acts. In the end Rat delivered more tirades than excitement. So too Jovi Rockwell, another caught in the net of an unresponsive audience.

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.