DANCEHALL culture continued right where it left off for Sting at Plantation Cove in Priory, St Ann, on Monday, December 26. The proclaimed Greatest One Night Show on Earth returned after a seven-year hiatus retaining every element of its past format — for better or for worse.

The highlight of the evening came as the event continued to be a prisoner to the multitude of dancehall stage show stereotypes that it invented or maintained. The first of these was its continued insistence on front-loading the programme with acts that might not have even made their high school talent show. This meant fans had to sit through hours of excruciating amateur sets only to be told that many of the headliners they had come to actually see wouldn’t be able to perform because, as per usual, Sting had come up against its time limit with the local authorities.

Yet, in this very moment, Sting did what it does best, rising to the challenge to create another iconic piece of dancehall history while wiping away the misery suffered up until then. With 30 minutes left the early morning crowd was told that there wasn’t enough time left for individual performances and that many of the remaining artistes would have to share the stage, friend or foe — for that 30 minutes dancehall and Sting were at their best, injecting a shot of adrenaline into a weary audience as several headliners including Topman, Kiprich, Alozade, and Valiant took the stage between the clashing pair of YGF Pablo and Malie Don. The time constraints forced each to rapidly deliver hit after hit, with none of the usual fluff, much to the delight of the fans.

Another highlight was the clash between Queenie and A’mari. While as lyrical a battle as a PhD professor reading a pre-school bedtime story to a toddler, it was the presentation and actions that took this clash to highlight status. As A’mari awaited, Queenie took to the stage in a wedding dress, infuriating her already hostile rival. Despite being reminded that the clash was verbal, the two ladies indulged in a quick catfight that had bits of clothing and wigs removed, much to the pleasure of the crowd. There was precious little lyrical exchange, but the crowd had already set out their favourite, Queenie.

Ironically, the female tussle was better received than the actual verbal contest that happened before it, featuring Mercenary and Animosity. The two aimed to harness the legendary clashes of Stings past, Mercenary being an analogue to the late Merciless while Animosity went the way of Ninja Man. Their head-to-head was as interesting visually as it was verbally, with Mercenary decked out in military gear and his challenger, a ninja suit. As much as the two rampantly questioned each other’s sexuality, boosted their machismo, amongst other insults, the audience went the way of Animosity.

The clash came at the most opportune time, splitting the headliners and bringing back some of the energy long lost to the Sting staple, the aforementioned front-loading. This meant when the top acts began their sets early in the morning the now-tired audience used its energy sparingly. Shane O was the first to experience this curve, starting on a high but having to deal with a lull as his set continued. He did leave the stage to a slight bump that transferred to Etana. However, by the time she gave up the stage to Christopher Martin her impromptu guest Fantan Mojah had absorbed the residual momentum.

It then became ‘Pavlovian theory’ in action as the remaining artistes did their best to adjust to the random spirit of the patrons. Some cut their set short, heading straight to fan favourite songs for maximum response. Others fell back on the old stage show trick of pandering wholesale to the audience with unrealistic demands or shout-outs to more popular artistes or hometown locations.

By the second half of the early morning, and with patrons rejuvenated by the first clashes, the dancehall raunchiness kicked in big time with a slew of female artistes who all proudly proclaimed their staunch adherence to their feminine hygiene protocols, or the strength and freedom of their sexual libido in their music. Add in long band changes, plus show stoppages due to errant flunkies on the stage, and it was all like Sting had never left. Welcome back.