IT was his first appearance on stage in Ocho Rios, St Ann since his passion for music was highlighted to Jamaicans across the length and breath of the island during the Digicel Rising Stars competition in 2005.

And, when Noddy Virtue took to the stage at Hard Rock Café Saturday night, he did not disappoint the patrons who had showed up to enjoy his debut show.

Noddy Virtue came, saw and conquered and when he was finished, after nearly two hours of performance, the crowd wouldn’t let him go. Ocho Rios had been waiting on Noddy Virtue since his surprising performances on Rising Stars where he captured the hearts of many, especially the ladies. And the man from St Elizabeth rose to the occasion and gave a stellar performance before an audience of approximately 200.

“It was my first time here and I loved the energy, the vibes was right, the people were into the performance, it was just great,” Noddy Virtue told the Observer after his performance.

“Ocho Rios is a place I have always wanted to perform and I’m glad that I pleased the crowd, they were wonderful and they love the type of music that I do.”

His performance included Broken Arrow, Oh My Love, I Want To Be Closer, Concrete Jungle, I’ve been loving you, Loving Feeling and Rebel In Me.

“The music thing a get too loose, a no so Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Garnett Silk set it … we need back love and harmony in the music, music is nice and dancehall music can be nice but we need back the love,” Virtue told a cheering audience.

Noddy Virture’s performance followed that of young upcoming Trelawny based artiste, Nego who also gave off an energetic performance.

Since it’s reopening earlier this year, Hard Rock Café has been one of the leading entertainment spots in the resort town on weekends.