Maria Myrie performs at 'Operation Restoration'. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

Andr Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

The Valentine's Day celebrations were protracted until last Saturday when a few lovebirds gathered on the lawns of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston's Hopefield Avenue, St. Andrew, residence. 'Operation Restoration, An Evening of Expectations', delivered on its promise and the attendees left pleased.

The Friends of St. Joseph's Hospital, under the patronage of the Most Rev. Lawrence Burke, staged its second yearly concert to benefit restoration efforts at the hospital.

Romance, gospel, reggae - you name it, and they were allpresent at the night's affair.

It was cabaret galore and heading the night's performers was Nicky OJ. His high-risk performance kept the patrons amused and entertained. His act was not high-risk because of the songs he chose, but because of his high energy antics that were unmatched.

"Im very dramatics," one woman said.

The crowd loved him and like a true performer he fed off the vibes he was getting. But this was only to find out that his zipper was down during his entire performance. It begged the question: was the audience's arousal all because of his performance?

"I always dance with my zipper down," he said.

"Dis is a go-go boy. What a hell pan mi, dis yah boy nuh easy," said another woman, while she laughed uncontrollably.

In good fun

It was all about pleasing the audience as Ebony Singers also interacted well with them, and probably got one poor man into trouble with his wife. For most of their performance, they picked on him. Despite a warning from group member Claudette, Patricia still went into the audience and found herself on the man's lap. This was, of course, while his wife sat and watched. It was in good fun though.

Also showing a bit of her fun side was Ashley Martin, most popularly known for being the lead singer for Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. That was before she managed to tangle the venue with some deep emotions. She said she was performing for her mother for the first time and the emotions were hard to hide. Fans greeted her after her performance to commend her. Her pink tight-fitting dress was another story, but her mission was accomplished.

It was, however, Maria Myrie who first got the venue a bit in the lively mode with a little reggae early on. Jamaicans will always move once they hear that rhythm unique to this country. Myrie took advantage and played her cards right. The MC labelled her performance as "efflorescent melody".

AJ Brown was given the task of closing the show but the better moments came earlier in the night. Nicholas Laraque, Dwight Richards, Judy Holung and the St Patrick's All-Star also made appearances. Harold Davis and Friends provided accompaniment.