Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Busy Signal - photos by Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer

If MC Jenni Jenni's estimate was correct, almost a thousand people for each of Jamaica's 45 years of independence from Britain turned up for the evening section of the major musical celebrations along Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston, on Monday night.

Of course, 40,000 people, give or take a few thousand, take up a lot of space and, with the huge stage being set up near the T-shaped intersection of Trafalgar Road and Knutsford Boulevard, the audience that was focused on the performers extended to near the end of the block, from which those on stage looked like colourful animated pins.

Further along Knutsford Boulevard there was a constant flow of persons among the booths set up under streamers of gold cloth on the left side of the dual carriageway, where pottery by Supersad and photographs from Moo Young were among the displays, with gizzadas to shrimp available from the numerous food vendors on the right.

Sound glitches

Etana

The music reached far down the strip there were several sound glitches, starting at 9:09 when Etana was performing the uptempo Roots, then at 9:51 p.m. and 9:53 p.m. as Marcia Griffiths was doing Fire Burning, as well as six minutes later as she was doing Dawn Penn's No No No. Those closer to the stage did not stop rocking in the brief breaks, though, as there was still a faint sound.

Earlier Leroy Gibbons rejoiced in his Four Season Lover and One Third celebrated their "baby boo", but their harmonies on signature cover song Africa did not gel. Pressure's Love and Affection was returned by thousands and Da'Ville was strictly lover's rock, closing with Always on My Mind, slipping in a deejay section at the end.

Interruptions

There were also sound interruptions at 10:06 p.m., 10:07 p.m. and 10:09 p.m. Tarrus Riley was able to perform without major interruption. His opening Beware rocked the house, Stay With You was slow and good and the closing She's Royal was given a thunderous reception.

There were also cheers for Macka Diamond when she deejayed "big up D'Angel, she have a plan, lef from one money man to a nex' one," snatches of earlier songs such Lexus and Benz delivered medley style. Diamond did as much or more talking as deejaying, closing with a bit of Hoola Hoop.

Busy Signal started uptempo before informing "we not going down" then taking a "step out" with the audience in lockstep. "A Independence dis," Signal said, before delivering Born and Grow, then there was a howl as he started Bad Man Place, for which he did only the introduction.

Rapturous reception

He took a measured approach to his closing These Are The Days.

"The next artiste is not a nurse," Jenni Jenni said, and Doctor Beenie Man's rapturous reception began the sound system problems popped up a penultimate time in his initial "oh nah nah nah nah". "All who love Jamaica get something and wave," he said, before deejaying "I will never" to begin snatches of song that marked his showing.

"Dem a talk bout man apologise," Beenie Man deejayed and the audience completed the lines, as they did for the explicit lyrics that followed "no gal cyaan siddung pon me head". Lines from Chaka Chaka and Memories followed The Gleaner, as well as those who were leaving before the bulk of the huge crowd, down Knutsford Boulevard, past the booths and the food, into the clear, going well past 11:00 p.m.