Last year's Rising Star top ten finalist, Brushy One String, who was only a spectator at this year's auditions in Ocho Rios.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

The start of the 2007 Digicel Rising Stars auditions held at Island Village in Ocho Rios on Saturday did not see the usual long lines, over-the-edge weird acts and energetic vibes that have been a staple of the competition over the years.

Instead, a small crowd of contestants and spectators gave day 1 of the Ocho Rios auditions a quiet hum, as some found little corners to rehearse their lines, while others who took the stage sometimes went unnoticed due to their lack of energy.

2006 top ten finalist, Brushy One String, who was also attending the Ocho Rios auditions this year as a spectator, said the turnout was significantly less than last year.

Untimely exit

Brushy, who still felt the pain of his untimely exit from the top ten last year said, "if mi did win, di audition would a pack up yah now. Last year when mi audition, in yah pack like a stage show, but nuh body nuh deh yah dis year."

The evidence might have been there to support this, as the registration area was practically empty at 1:30 p.m. and the day's proceedings came to an early end at 3:54 p.m, as only 400 contestants registered in the end.

In addressing the scanty crowd, Series Producer for Digicel Rising Stars, Sharon Schroeter, said it would appear that way because of some tighter security measures that were implemented this year.

"Last year Island Village was packed both with contestants and spectators until it was no longer safe and we had to shut it down. So this year, we have a more rigorous security system in place. For example, we have certain areas where spectators are not allowed, like upstairs. And this year, what we did different, we didn't use the main entrance, but people entered from the back this time," Schroeter said.

The barricaded areas and increased number of police personnel were indeed evident and spectators had limited freedom of movement, causing many to bundle to the side of the venue.

According to one spectator who gave her name as Sheryl, "maybe it's not such a bad idea wi cyan really hear wa gwaan from suh far, but sometimes di noise from the audience can throw off the judges or even di contestants."

Only a few contestants received any significant reactions from spectators, as some managed to project their voices quite powerfully, while for others, it was just their attire or energy on stage that garnered any reaction from the spectators.

Next auditions take place on Saturday at Fayors Entertainment Complex, Mandeville.

A section of the crowd being marshalled by police. Spectators were not allowed past certain areas. - photos by Teino Evans