MONTEGO BAY, St James – More than 2,000 patrons flocked Sunday’s staging of the Genesis concert in Montego Bay, which delivered acts that were memorable if not altogether electrifying.

The event attracted patrons, many with their children in tow, for more than 10 hours of praise and worship through song, at the Montego Bay Community College.

After several hours of performances, which ran hot and cold, it was amidst drooping eyelids and sluggish limbs in the audience that Joan Flemmings made her appearance after 2:00 am Monday. A few seconds into her act, however, the audience was on their feet, dancing, clapping and singing along with her.

Using a combination of comedy and contemporary dance moves, to say nothing of her soulful voice, Flemmings captivated the audience. She subsequently serenaded them with tunes like Lucifer yuh throne gone down and Rock of Ages, which had something of a Kumina flavour to them.

Her selections, delivered in a husky baritone and with the backing of a band in tune with her singing, left people re-energised and with their eyes wide open and clearly hopeful for the rest of the concert.

Joseph Scott, who performed next, did a good job of keeping the crowd on their feet as well, with his selections and unique energy. The children who performed at the concert were, on the whole, well received by the audience, who sought an encore from nine-year-old Talia Prout.

Hinds had delivered a rendition of The Anchor Holds. Lennox Forbes, 13, winner of the first Tastee Talent Contest semi-final to be staged in Montego Bay last October, performed admirably, and to the crowd’s delight.

But not all of the night’s more than 25 performers elicited a positive crowd response, as some were plagued by the off-key delivery of songs. Groups like The Chosen Ones and New Generations had other problems.

Their microphones were held too close to their mouths, muffling their words, while their backing bands’ performance was delivered loudly, making it almost impossible for the audience to hear and appreciate the groups’ singing. The result was annoyance, the crowd demanded, by pre-emptive applause in some cases and verbal criticisms in others, that they leave the stage.

Acts delivered by deejays also failed to gain traction with the discriminating audience. The only exception to the rule was DJ Nicholas, whose act was interwoven with modern dance moves that got the attention of many youths.

Entertainment veteran Judy Mowatt, meanwhile, gave a professional performance, as she sang of the need for Jamaicans to pray for Christ’s intervention in the island’s development and the need to give thanks to God.

Christopher Martin, last year’s Rising Stars champion, who many had waited several hours to see, gave a riveting performance. Like Flemmings before him, he was adroitly supported by a band in tune with the requirements of his singing voice so that the lyrics he performed could be clearly heard and understood.

Among the songs he performed, having taken the stage shortly after 7:00 am Monday, was an original, which he said would be named either Dreams or Conscience. It was a song that appeared designed, among other things, to engage criminals and prospective criminals in introspection.

He also performed songs like Bridge over troubled waters and Sheltered in the arms of God. So enthralled was the audience that one smiling female fan went as far as to run on to the stage where she embraced him as he ended one of his renditions.

The popular Katalys Crew closed the show on a high note as they performed songs from their Christmas Album as well as the preceding studio effort, Open your eyes. Their performance, like that of Flemmings and DJ Nicholas, included current dance moves, which proved enticing to the youths in the audience.

Performances aside, there was a bit of a skirmish at the entrance to the college auditorium as security conducted a second check of patron’s tickets before allowing them in. Many patrons did not take kindly to that and crowded the gate, insisting to be let in while maintaining that a second check was unnecessary. The only other trouble occurred between a concert employee and a youth, who insisted on filming, without the requisite permission, aspects of the concert.

Although there were hitches, the organisers feel confident that these did not affect the overall success of the show.

“All in all, I think the negatives that were there weren’t any that cause any major mishaps. It is encouraging for those of us, who worked so hard,” noted Barrington Sergeant, the production co-ordinator with the Montego Bay Genesis Committee, which organised the event on behalf of the Jamaica Youth for Christ.

“We think we can pay our bills. This has been the best (Genesis concert in Montego Bay) in the last five,” said a satisfied, but obviously tired Sergeant. “It took a lot of work, but at the end of the day, although you are tired, when you see the fruits, especially when the fruits were your objective, you say to God be the glory.”

– williamsp@jamaicaobserver.com