[Entertaiment]:::A spring breaker's treat

No. 68 Friday, March 19, 2010
Conroy Walker
Spring break 2010 got off with a bang on Saturday March 8, when the Energy God Elephant Man, the Mr. Lover Lover himself, Shaggy and chart topping artiste Chino, de­livered a musical treat during the Heineken Red Star concert at the new Jungle Night Club's stage show venue in Negril.

    It was a win win affair for all concerned. The visiting scholars who are on their annual trip to Negril were in for a musical treat and the cool windy conditions were no deterrent as scores of visiting spring breakers and locals
alike converged on the Jungle for what was, by far, one of the best shows in the western town since the beginning of the year at this venue with a capacity of 10,000.
    For Heineken it was worth the buck. Frederique Asberg, Country Manager of Heineken, was very pleased with the turnout and said that Heineken was happy to be a part of the spring break experience. "The Heineken Red Star con­cert was overall a wonderful success with promoters and sponsors extremely happy," he said.
    Chino set the pace early with a well received stint that had the ladies wanting more. His hit-driven set was short but not disappointing. After a blistering stint by Elephant Man, the world acclaimed and dapperly dressed Shaggy was next. His entry was greeted by screams from a large contingent of female fans as he climbed the stairs to centre stage. His white woody shirt covering his head with matching white glasses seems to tell a story. The crowd pleaser he gave an amazing performance and made his mark on Spring Break.
    Truth be told though, this was not one of those energy filled performance; however, it was well paced and well received. "It was a good vibe although the show was late. "I did not think that the show would go so late," he said. With regard to his not so energetic performance he noted that he had a flu. "I had the flu and up to about four O'clock I thought I couldn't do the show because my voice was gone, but with some tea and some vocal exercises, I was able to perform." He said the good thing was that the audience knew most of the songs and they sang along and enjoy themselves. For the spring breakers his only advice was "party and be safe".
    Shaggy was joined by Raven and did so' , 'Bombastic', 'Angel' which featured Raven, 'In the Summer Time' and 'It Wasn't Me' and 'Church Heathen'.
    There was, however, one set back, the show was off to a late start and the cadre of the local artistes from in and around Negril were pain­fully introduced by DJ Bones of Irie FM. The stand outs were Timmi Burrell who put on a good performance with his current hit 'Why Did You Leave Me?'
    However, of the Negril performers, Rass Noble stood out head and shoulders among them all. He was by far, the most prepared with his colourful African garb, backup singers and a flag waving rasta in toe. His offerings were easy on the ears and spoke in a cultural sense, to some of the negatives in our society. He performed songs such 'Violence & Crime', 'Evil Taking Over', and 'Still in the Game' in his well received set.
    At the change of set for the big acts, the Red Star promoters and DJ Bones wasted little time in bringing on hot shots the Big Ship family moved the evening into high gear, starting with chart topping artiste, Laden, who performed his hits as well as some new mate­rial and clearly demonstrated that he had grown as a solid performer.
    Chino, took full advantage of the momentum created by Laden, as he belted out songs like 'Never Change' and 'Nuh Put No Woman Pon Yuh Head' which were sure hits with the ladies in the crowd, who all now were jumping at stage front. As throngs of these eager female patrons tried to touch the star, he was challenged to keep his balance on stage.
    The vibe was increased with the introduction of Elephant Man who spared no time in getting the already jumping crowd dancing and singing in tandem with him. Clad in a white suit, a yellow Show in Negril, velvet jacket and matching hair highlights, Elephant Man stood out from the stage. He took the capacity crowd through dance class and was bombarded by a few of the spring breakers who took on the role of back up dancers. Giving snippets of each of his hits, the Energy God showed why he deserves the name as he entertained through out his set while giving dance tips. His stint was well received particularly by the visitors in the house, who loved him. With a few antics, he gave them, 'Over the Wall', 'Higher Level', and 'WarmUp'.
    When he thought they were full of his offerings he shouted "Are you ready to go home?" and got a resounding "No". He then delivered his super popular, 'Pon the River', 'Gully Creeper' and 'No Linga' to end his bubbling set.