Saturday night’s Spring Break stage show at Long Bay Beach in Negril will be long remembered for the size of the crowd and for the dramatic moment when the crowd tore down the fence separating them from the VIP section in a bid to get closer to Beenie Man. Happily there were no reports of injury and persons in general took the whole thing in good spirits.

Spring Break is associated with many shows but this particular annual Long Bay Spring Break Party could be classified as the Sumfest of Spring Break (without censorship).

A marathon night with a long roster of artistes and a loyal following of patrons who often remain till 6: 00 am Sunday, this event has become a tradition here.

Everybody knows the routine: Don’t come before 11:00 pm because that is just ‘early jugglings time’ with the sound system and the hopefuls who are trying to make a breakthrough on the music scene.

In the same vein, expect the usual themes and practices that accompany this type of hardcore event… the wonders of the female genitals, liberation of cannabis usage and anti-homosexuality dialogue.

There was a high turnout of tourists at this show and if they did not understand some of the hardcore lyrics you could not tell as they were rocking and nodding to the music as if they did. Unfortunately for many of them, they came in early and had to endure quite an extensive wait before the real action started on stage. One of the nice side features of the show is that there were plenty of bars and local food stalls conveniently positioned around the venue. Menu choices catered to both the culinary needs of Rastafarians and non-Rastafarians alike. Some craft items were also available and the ubiquitous flag vendors wended their way through the crowd.

A humorous emcee held the crowd’s focus in between his introduction of performers and his “Snagga Puss-like” impressions. Both Rebel T sound systems and Black Blunt provided the type of entertainment the crowd liked. Black Blunt, an outfit from Westmoreland, was particularly impressive with their clever selection of old-school reggae coupled with creative seguing by the selector into contemporary hip hop and dancehall.

Once the show got started the programme flowed smoothly, although the big name brand artistes didn’t appear before 2:00 am.

Female performer, Spice was edgy and daring. Her performance got additional boost when a patron, Germaine Stewart took up the challenge and got on stage to dance with her. The gyration, energy and sexual simulation between the two sparked much excitement and cheers from the crowd.

Mavado was welcomed with god-like devotion by his fans. He held back nothing from his fans who made it clear that they did not want a diluted version of his lyrics.

Sizzler was a crowd favourite and he brought added heat to the large crowd that was already on fire. If one thought the energy could be raised no higher that idea was dispelled when Beenie Man was introduced. Ladies screamed, men shouted and the crowd surged forward eliminating the fencing that separated the VIPs. He could do no wrong on stage and he provided his fans with a performance that I’m sure they’re still talking about.