The 'Colonel' Josey Wales (left) cools down with an ice cold Red Stripe after his sterling performance at Top Ranking Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest's Dancehall Salute held at Pier One in Montego Bay on Wednesday night. With him is Red Stripe's Group Marketing Manager Carlo Redwood (centre) and Tinga Stewart who also performed on the show.

Montego Bay, St James - If Top Ranking night at Sumfest is anything to go by, the younger acts slated to perform over the next two nights have big shoes to fill.

Staged last Wednesday night at Pier 1, along Howard Cooke Boulevard in Montego Bay, the show featured several veteran dancehall names who proved that despite their absence from the contemporary scene, they are still capable of getting 'forwards'. And several of them received just that from the appreciative audience, which was a mix of locals and foreigners alike. Among the night's most mememorable performers is 1980s rude-boy deejay Peter Metro. Known more by today's generation for the famed Metromedia rather than as a slang-slinging deejay, Metro ruled the stage with several throwbacks like Police Inna England and Bad Mind A Kill Dem.

Admiral Bailey disproved the myth that 'fat men can't dance'.

"Weh a gwaan ah Jamaica fe stop... we don't want no red or green roun' ere, jus' love," the veteran performer said beforing going into Put Back Adams - a tongue-in-cheek tune that calls for the reinstatement of accquited policeman Reneto Adams. Metro's frantic running mixed with catchy, but artful tongue-twisting made for great entertainment as he performed Backway Talk followed by All Who Love Jamaica on the infamous Punnany riddim.

"Ah so we get Deejay Of the Year nuff time because me ah intelligent youth," the star performer said after 'pulling-up' by request of the audience.

Metro, who performed within the first section of the showcase was in the company of other veterans like General Trees and Admiral Bailey, the latter who absolutely demolished the notion that 'fatman cyaan dance'. Skipping, twirling and dancing with high-energy like a puppy off its leash, Bailey treated patrons to God Pickeny and Big Belly Man, among other tunes. The sweating, burly deejay now turned coach continued his mastery with Gimme Punnany. That elicited screams from the audience and a few even held their crotch in gest, delighting in the risque track. Performing before the Admiral, but not in the least outdone, the ever-comedic Professor Nuts also gave a noteworthy showing. "Woman, man bigges' problem..." The Professor squealed and out came the screams and there was even an occasional 'bullet, bullet' - a favourable response which urged him to restart the track. His comical approach mixed with subtle sexual undertones kept patrons laughing even as he closed with Inna Di Bus.

Peter Metro gives all at Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest Top Ranking.

Josey Wales, with his somewhat similar style also proved to be entertaining. The dapper Wales, outfitted in his full suit of Khaki, performed the 'die-hearted' Jamaican anthem Nah Lef Yah followed by Undercover Lover.

"You see Beenie and Bounty, leave them alone, the two of them is frien'," Wales said before giving a musical take on the so-called D'Angel wars. The performer, though entertaining, spent too much time criticising contemporaray dancehall acts instead of engaging listeners with his more popular material.

Pam Hall and Courtney Melody, two of the night's earlier performers thrilled audience members with the sweet and steady beats from dancehall's sophomore era. Hall teased with all too quickly finished renditions of Moonlight Lover, No, No, No and The First Cut Is The Deepest, while Melody, outfitted in a white suit and felt hat, blew hearts away with Modern Girl and Fever.

General Trees in performance.

The second segment of the show featured a variety of acts spanning several decades. Though the second half was not necessarily drab, the pace slowed with the introduction of crooners Gregory Issacs, Pinchers and stylised deejay and the godfather of the modern toaster, URoy. The veteran artiste performed four songs including Girl I've Got A Date and Wailers' track Soul Rebel. The night's closer was Frankie Paul.

So while most of the veterans who performed no longer have youth on their sides, talent has been faithful enough to stick with them.

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