Mavado came out as one of the top acts of a night which provided few other bright sparks.

There was hardly anything to write home about at this year's Sting as despite a few explosive moments, the show paled in comparison to previous years, and left the thousands of patrons who had converged on the Jamworld Entertainment Centre dissatisfied.

"This a the worst Sting ever," one disgruntled patron muttered as other patrons filed through the turnstiles and left members of the Portmore Empire exchanging lyrics on stage.

The organisers had emphasised that this year's event would be themed around unity but the messages offered by some of the more heralded artistes were far from that theme.

Mavado, who hit the stage about 3:30 am although being billed to perform at 12.45 am, has risen through the ranks of the dancehall by playing upon the gangster theme. He stayed true to form yesterday morning as he catered to the blood lust of the masses and spewed his violent message to a sustained fireworks tribute.

Based on crowd reaction, which is a most important part of the Sting set-up, Mavado came out as one of the top acts of a night which provided few other bright sparks.
Following in his protégé's footsteps was the Warlord, Bounty Killer, who continued the glorification of the gun and the gangster lifestyle before taking lyrical jabs at the Doctor, who he dubbed "Sheenie Man".

The first real sparks were set by veteran dancehall practitioner, Josey Wales, whom earned himself two genuine encores. Josey Wales has been performing at Sting since its inception 23 years ago and showed that he knew the recipe to move a Sting audience.

His advice to rivals Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, "Don't bother fight over one woman because too much beautiful woman inna Jamaica," drew hoots of approval from the audience.

Another veteran, George Nooks, who preceded Josey Wales, was also pleasing on the ear as he crooned his way into the hearts of the Sting massive.

Captain Barkey and Wickerman have never failed to excite a Sting audience and this year they stepped it up a notch to give another lesson on how to mash up Sting with their witty commentary and jocular lyrics.

Special mention must be made of Christopher Martin, whose performance indicated that he has finally made the transition from Rising Stars winner to mainstream artiste. Martin exhibited confidence and an impressive vocal range to make his mark on an event which is seen as the most important live event in dancehall circles.

Ninja Man was his usual controversial self while Anthony B made an impact even as members of the audience were trying to stay awake as dawned approached.

Fully outfitted in a pirate's suit, the raunchy Spice was scathing in her attacks on D'Angel and Beenie Man.
Lutan Fyah was also impressive with his inimitable style. Lutan's set stood out because it came at a time when the audience was becoming restless and proved the perfect boost for a Sting audience desperate for lyrical action. His bashing of Catholic priests went down well.

Queen Ifrica has been enjoying a good run of late and was well received. Other good stints came from Assassin, Turbulance, Busy Signal, Jigsy King and Tony Curtis and a vastly improved I-Octane.

Much had been made of Jah Cure's first performance in Kingston since his release from incarceration earlier this year, but while he was tolerated and some sections of the audience sang along to his reggae ballads, the timing of his entry took something away from his performance.

The organisers may have erred by trying a new format as it was evident that the crowd, although tolerant, was in no mood for lovers rock and message music minutes before dawn.

Some of the casualties of the crowd's impatience was Junior Reid, who was clapped off despite the presence of rapper Eve, Richie Spice, whose catalogue perhaps needs upgrading, and Tarrus Riley, who just barely saved his growing reputation.

Earlier, a rotund Queen Paula was less than impressive in her ski mask and leotard-looking outfit as she went ballistic and called for a clash with her rivals; Harry Toddler's set was cut short after he chose to lace his lyrics with expletives; Viper came, saw and was conquered; Stacious was completely out of her depth and perhaps needs to stop portraying herself as a foul-mouthed virago.

All things told, the organisers can be praised for the tight security arrangements, as apart from a minor stampede during Mavado's set, the event was relatively incident-free.
There was also relative easy access to the bars, adequate amount of bathroom facilities and a smooth flow of traffic when the show ended at minutes after 7:00 am.

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