IT was an evening dedicated to singers, and delivered they did on the first night of Rebel Salute held at Grizzly’s Plantation in Priory, St Ann, on Friday.

Wayne Wonder emerged among the front runners following a great set in the early hours of Saturday. It was 5:20 am when he arrived on stage and wasted no time.

Don’t Waste Your Time, Favourite Girl with a Spragga Benz cameo, I Still Believe, Forever Young, Bounce Along, No Letting Go all flowed from the lips of the lanky singer who rose to prominence in the 1990s. It was a tight set of non-stop music with none of the in-between track chatter.

Wayne Wonder’s performance was followed by another great set from Half Pint.

The veteran crooner also had his audience showing love as he gave of himself and his music. As MC Mutabaruka noted: “When an artiste can stand in one place and have his audience rocking, that is the sign of a great artiste.”

Mr Landlord, Winsome, Victory, Level The Vibes and One Big Family was among Half-Pint’s slate of hits.

Performances aside, it was drama backstage as Tarrus Riley and Anthony B entourages got embroiled in a heated verbal clash over the show’s running order. This led to Riley storming the stage during the performance by Fantan Mojah. Riley dropped a few of his popular songs then left the venue.

Back on stage, it was truly the night for singers. Warrior King, Iba Mahr, Chaka Demus and Pliers, and I Wayne all delivered strong performances.

The deejays and singjays were not to be left out. Sister Nancy, Lone Ranger, and General Trees all delivered great sets.

The task of closing a long night of performances was left up to Anthony B, who dropped his hits on the medium-sized audience who remained until 8:00 am.

Rebel Salute 2017 closed last night with the likes of Andre Hugh Sutherland (Popcaan), Moses Davis (Beenie Man), Queen Ifrica, and Third World.

Earlier, festival promoter Tony Rebel rocked the stage with another of his signature entertaining performances.