Patrons at Kenny’s Italian Café in Negril were left disgruntled on Friday night after members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force pulled the plug on Agent Sasco’s performance. The entertainer was booked to perform at Unplugged with the Sound Agents Band.

The lawmen enforced the State of Public Emergency (SOE), which has been in effect in Westmoreland since April. The event had been advertised since October.

What made patrons even more angry was that Agent Sasco showed up after midnight for an event slated to begin at 9:00 pm. Scores of attendees took to Instagram and expressed their dissatisfaction.

“You waah believe seh afta the big bad Agent Sasco come a Negril fi come perform; as di man grace di stage wid ‘put you hand up inna the air’, police lock it off ’bout SOE. I was so upset, dem need fi gwaan betta man,” one user said.

“Me waste me money. Promoter must have known the lock-off time. Show scheduled for 9:00 pm and Sasco came on 12,” another commented.

Agent Sasco also went on Instagram to give his side of the story, saying he was equally disappointed.

“Last night (Friday night) in Negril, at approximately 12:15 am, about a minute into my performance, I was told that we had to turn off immediately because of the state of emergency currently declared in the western end of the island. The police officers explained that it wasn’t a lack of discretion on their part, but they had direct orders. Of course, everyone was shocked and disappointed, everything was in place for a great show. Anyway, the massive said acapella, so we went unplugged, he wrote.

Since last summer, there have been differences between event promoters and police officers about extending time granted on show permits.

Addressing last Tuesday’s launch of activities to mark Reggae Month 2020 at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Minister of Culture and Entertainment Olivia “Babsy” Grange said work has commenced to rebuild Fort Rocky, outside Port Royal, as Jamaica’s first designated entertainment zone.