Fiery sets at St Mary show
Although it was billed as a celebration of Marcus Garvey’s legacy and an appeal for equal rights and justice, dancehall’s elite threw their anger and profanity at homosexuals during the St Mary Mi Come From show which took Saturday at the Grays Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay.
The event took place in a week when the Pan African icon and Jamaica’s first National Hero’s 125th birthday was being observed.
The show ignited close to 2:00 am when veteran deejay Major Mackerel took the stage at the Grays Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay.
As anticipated by the thousands of patrons, the artiste was in his usual comical mood. Mackerel thrilled with his hit song Pretty Looks Done which was followed by Dutty Bungle, Prettiest Gal Dem, Cow Cod, and Fren Enemy.
Mackerel had the audience’s undivided attention throughout his 15-minute set and was the first artiste of the night to earn an encore.
Approximately 90 minutes later, MC ‘Sample Man’ announced that Sizzla Kalonji was to perform. The diminutive singer delivered hits like Rise to the Occasion, Simplicity, Can’t Keep a Good Man Down, and Holding Firm.
“Di stage show tun up until it a tun over,” Sizzla bellowed as he and his flag bearers pranced the stage. He denounced homosexuals with a host of anti-gay songs including Nah Apologise and Murder Dem.
He then changed course by dedicating several songs to the ladies. Thank You Mama, Give Me a Try and Just one of Those Days sent the females into a frenzy.
At daybreak, the musical inferno continued to blaze when the ‘Fireman’ Capleton took centrestage. After chanting the lyrics to Slew Dem and Jah Jah City, he invited Ninjaman on stage.
Suited in white, Ninjaman did his hit More Reality which was followed by a ‘Too hot for Airwaves’ segment in which he and Capelton performed a string of sexually-explicit songs.
They later shared the stage with Cocoa Tea, Teflon, Gyptian, Prophecy and Munga Honourebel.
Prior to Sizzla’s fiery set, Macka Diamond rocked the crowd with songs like Deso Nice, Bun Him, Hoola-a-Hoop and Cowfoot.
Earlier, veteran percussionist Bongo Herman took the audience down memory lane by performing classics like the traditional Rastaman Chant.
Other strong performances came from Jigsy King and Tony Curtis, Beetle Bailey, Carl Dawkins, Richie Spice, Chuck Fenda, Pashon Minott, George Nooks and Nesbeth.
