THE COLISEUM WAS CRUMBLING.
A Final Frontier once fortified by the brute force of unbridled soca was being trampled by sound problems along with a visibly and vocally upset headlining act in Machel Montano.
It did not help that an estimated 17 000-strong crowd at Friday morning’s Soca Titans had been waiting over an hour to see Mr HD. The Happiest Man Alive appeared around 4:25 a.m. and was on stage for ten minutes before his microphone went off and he and his dancers exited the stage and band members packed up.
Tropical Storm Bertha swept through for a guest appearance at the St Philip venue, featuring strong winds and heavy rain.
Was this the end? Was this Soca Titans’ legacy?
The large throng of spectators chanted the name of the one they wanted to see, hoping that the otherwise great night had not come to an abrupt end. Others didn’t wait to find out.
Machel faced a mammoth task, but was ready for the challenge.
Equipped with A Bottle Of Rum, the Ministry Of Road and Vibes Cyaan Done, Machel Montano whipped the crowd back into a frenzy from just before 5 a.m. until the sun came up on the show’s 5:30 a.m. finish. Ensuring to cater to the home crowd, the Trinidadian soca star also paid homage to vintage Bajan kaiso with a bit of Director’s Neighbour and Gabby’s Government Boots. Songs like Haunted, Advantage, Drop It Down, Bend Over, The Fog, and E.P.I.C kept bumpers moving in rapid motion.
Machel was later joined by Farmer Nappy for a good old-fashioned Big People Party with Family.
The First Family of soca Bunji Garlin and wife Fay-Ann Lyons had Herculean hold over the audience from the start to the end of their set. The Differentology singer and his wife thrilled the thick crowd with their combined hit list, including Truck On D Road, Carnival Tabanca, Red Light District, We Doin’ Dis Owah, Miss Behave and Done D Party. Soca hits from fellow Trinidadian soca singers were inserted for variety. It was perhaps one of the best performances Bunji and Fay-Ann put down locally.
For the seasoned soca lover, David Rudder was an added treat. Coming to the stage with Bahia Girl, Rudder covered most of the classics in the half-hour performance: Calypso Music, Trini To The Bone, The Hammer and High Mas (Give Praise), although sadly no Rally Round The West Indies.
Rudder is effortlessly classic.
However, the organiser’s decision to place him between Bunji Garlin/Fay-Ann Lyons and Li’l Rick was perhaps not the best call.
Up until then, a party vibe was slowly rising to fever pitch. Li’l Rick was at his peak and brought along the Hypa Kids, Unda Dawg, Trinidadian soca singer/songwriter Sekon Sta and King Bubba to share the half-hour in the Soca Titans limelight.
Hypa Sounds got the live performances rolling around 11:15 p.m. singing this year’s hits. Musical duos Bobo and Fada Fox and Lead Pipe and Saddis raised the tempo and the temperature, heightened by RPB. Up and coming artists Snypa and Hollabak also performed.
The show was hosted by Miami-based DJ Barry Hype.
• lleighannworrell@nationnews.com
