Recording artistes-turned-host Assassin (left) and Cham on the mic during the Asylum celebration.

Mas Camp was bursting at the seams on Saturday night/Sunday morning when the unthinkable happened at a quarter to four at the Asylum 10th Anniversary Celebrations. The sound system shorted out as the celebrations were reaching a crescendo while Cham and Assassin were on stage together trading lyrics and giving away gifts to screaming patrons in the swell of the stage.
It was unfortunate.

The build-up and anticipation of the night was true Asylum-style entertainment. Pretty Boy Floyd led the way in energising the massive early on and sound systems such as Code Red and Bloodline led by Blade built up the vibes so that when it was time for Jigsy from the "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. BEMBE!!" Squad to take the stage, the massive was already feeling the Asylum vibes.

With Magnum, Guinness and Appleton running bucket deals all night, the Mas Camp floor was awash with black and gold buckets, tripping patrons at almost every turn.

Naturally, some of the more intoxicated patrons found this crowded obstacle course a challenge and many men were entranced by the Magnum Girls and the Asylum Girls who had the Appleton snow mound electrified.

The Magnum Girls dance atop the Appleton snow mound during the Asylum 10th Anniversary party.

Pretty Boy Floyd then introduced the artiste from Sherlock Crescent, Cham, who performed a lively set before being presented with an Asylum honorarium by Ity and Fancy Cat who were fresh from a tour of the United States and Canada. Area Code 876 Sound took the stage and continued the Asylum party vibes until the veteran, the stalwart, Sky Juice from MetroMedia Sound charged the teaming mass. Sky Juice did not start with his usual 'oldies' set, but lunged right into the hottest tunes of the day, dancing and splitting, bouncing his big belly all over the stage.

It was fitting for him to be presented with an honorarium by Asylum for his tireless work as an music ambassador for Jamaica. He let his 'Big Son' collect the plaque and then continued to entertain.

After a colourful dance routine from Dance Xpressionz, led by Orville Hall, who was on tour with Ity and Fancy Cat in North America, the massive was treated to another of Jamaica's lyrical talents, Assassin. Assassin reeled off much of his modern hits before being joined onstage by Cham. After trading a few songs, Assassin let loose on an acappella version of Run showcasing his clever word play with the Jamaican term 'run' and thrilling the audience.

Lighters flashed and fingers pointed to the sky; the massive was ripe with enjoyment, and Assassin and Cham were getting ready to give away another of the $10,000 cash prizes being handed out to lucky ticket holders every hour.

The stage crew scrambled about. Arms waved wildly and shouting ensued. Cham and Assassin led the crowd in chanting "We want light! We want light!" That quickly (and thankfully) died down as more scrambling took place on stage. Assassin and Cham threw free phone cards out to the audience; and the wait was on. About 10 minutes went by before it seemed evident that the sound was not coming back, and as a few patrons made their way out of the venue, a small stampede ensued. This was a disappointing end to a charged-up night.

As patrons climbed from under food tables and brushed off spilled drinks off their new clothes, many complained of dissatisfaction with the premature end of the night. Brian 'Ribbi' Chung and the Asylum team, may have been the most frustrated of all considering the unfortunate conclusion to their much-anticipated 10th Anniversary party.

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