It was a 1-2 knockout for the ladies on the Perry’s Pre-Mother’s Day Event programme at Hope Gardens, St Andrew, on Saturday, May 6.

Headliner Regina Belle and Marcia Griffiths lifted themselves over their male counterparts with performances that delivered much enjoyment to the audience on hand to see them.

“It was amazing. I got a chance to be myself. I want to thank you, Jamaica. Every time I come here I always have a great time. You all were wonderful and didn’t disappoint,” Regina Belle told the media after her set.

She brought a level of energy that reverbated through the night, beginning with her dancing up a storm to her more lively hits like You Know You Love Me. She then slowed down the pace for the vocally intricate love ballads she’s famous for, transfixing the audience with the likes of Love T.K.O. and Baby Come To Me. For good measure she threw in a few Aretha Franklin covers and even managed a happy birthday song for event organiser Peter Perry. With every song a sonic journey, the artiste left the stage to a standing ovation from pleased fans.

Griffiths, who preceded Regina Belle onstage, was also the recipient of much applause from she started her set. Calling on her own catalogue of popular hits, she had total control of the audience from her opening song I Shall Sing and easily rolling down memory lane with the crowd reeling off favourites such as Stepping Out A Babylon. Like the headliner, she mixed things up a bit with a few covers. Leaning into her early years as a member of the I-Three, she caught crowd favour with her version of Bob Marley’s Who the Cap Fits and Redemption Song. Not even a minor technical error could break her stride and she too left the stage with a standing ovation from the audience.

For the men, Glen Washington and George Nooks, it was not that their performances were weak, it was quite the opposite, as both men turned in very solid sets. George Nooks, as the opening act, set the pace, sticking to the lovers’ rock and gospel tunes he’s known for. Tribal War, Amazing Grace, and God Is Standing By were just a few of his hits that kept the patrons engaged to the every end.

Glen Washington, who was making a long-awaited return to Jamaica having not performed on the island in over 15 years, followed just as strongly as The Right Road and Silhouettes sounded just as fresh as the day they were first sung. All that was just no match for Griffiths’s Electric Boogie that had the crowd doing the Electric Slide, and Regina Belle’s vibrant energy and vocal variety, the 1-2 combo knocking the socks off the patrons by the end of the night.