Great sets at Guinness concert
STELLAR performances marked Thursday evening’s Arthur Guinness Day concert at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
Celebrating its fifth year, the invitation-only event is held in honour of the Irish businessman/philantropist who founded the world-famous Guinness brewery in the 18th century.
Singjay I-Octane paid tribute to the legendary Irishman in a clip announcing his set.
“Arthur Guinness is not an ordinary man. When I got selected to perform it motivated me to bring the music to the next level.”
During his 30-minute stay, he hit out against rapists and gunslingers and kept the crowd entertained with Suffer Too Long, Lose A Friend, and My Life.
The excitement rose when Bounty Killer joined I-Octane to perform their ‘combination’ song, Bad Mind Dem A Pree.
Soca’s first couple, Bunji Garlin and Faye Lyons, took the stage proclaiming, “We ready for the road!” For those not feeling the soca spirit, Lyons gave them a ‘pep talk’.
“Some might not know the music, but a sure every West Indians know how to ‘wine’!”
She got them to do just that to chants of “go dung, go dung!”
Tarrus Riley entered the fray with a ‘Shaka Zulu’ dancer armed with fire torch, a perfect introduction for his song Warrior Spirit.
Riley had the crowd engaged in a sing-a-long for the duration of his set with songs such as Cut It Off, Lion Paw, and She’s Royal.
His musical director, saxophonist Dean Fraser, performed a stirring rendition of Buju Banton’s Untold Stories.
Fraser was not the only instrumentalist to impress. Busy Signal, who closed the show, introduced violinist Jessica Yap who thrilled an appreciative audience with her take on the classics.
Earlier, singer Nature called for calm with his World Peace before making way for Aidonia who went over well, especially when he brought his dancers on stage.
