MIAMI, Florida — The blazing heat of downtown Miami was no deterrent to the throngs of fans who flooded into the Bayfront Park to witness the 19th annual hosting of the Best of the Best concert on Sunday.

Thrilling performances by the booked performers and an eclectic atmosphere ensured that the concert continues to be one of South Florida’s premier events which showcase Caribbean culture, fare and fashion.

Enough cannot be said about the professionalism and class of queen of reggae, Marcia Griffiths. As the evening sun started to set, Griffiths electrified the venue without once sliding off key or missing a step. She effortlessly got close to the thousands of adoring fans with her cadre of reggae anthems, well tuned vocals and experienced stagecraft. The way the veteran singer moved it was hard to fathom that she is indeed 75 years old.

Nadine Sutherland started out as a child prodigy and now, some four decades later, must be regarded as a veteran of the entertainment industry. Sutherland seemed to have lost none of her youthful verve and she pranced through her set which of course was full of ‘action’. Sutherland’s undeniable talent was discovered by none other than reggae king, Bob Marley, and she justified Marley’s vision. Sutherland was completely irresistible and the Bayfront Park massive gave her the love she deserved.

Nadine Sutherland performs at the Best of the Best concert on Sunday May 25, 2025. (Photo: Instagram/Best of the Best)

Powerhouse singer Romain Virgo was in imperious form and if ever there were any dirty hearts inside the Miami venue before he entered the stage, they were all swept with reggae’s broom and cleansed with its musical soap when he was done. Virgo grabbed the event by the scruff of the neck and made it his own. No one was able to sleep during his set.

Wayne Wonder was also up to the task and even though he entered in Virgo’s thunderous wake he did not disappoint.

After up-and-coming acts were given an opportunity to expose their talent, Jemere Morgan of Morgan Heritage fame opened the official proceedings with aplomb. His set was bolstered by an appearance by Grammy award winning artiste Kabaka Pyramid and elder brother Gramps Morgan who remembered departed Morgan Heritage lead singer, Petah Morgan, as both sang the group’s Down By The River hit.

The Best of the Best concert always offers up a diverse Caribbean flavour and Skinny Fabulous proved the perfect foil with a soca-laced, high tempo performance.

Marcia Griffiths performs at the Best of the Best concert on Sunday May 25, 2025. (Photo: Instagram/Best of the Best)

Dancehall artiste Chronic Law was also well received. Unfortunately his dancehall colleague, 450, did not perform as he reportedly suffered from a problem with immigration clearance.

The Bayfront Park is constructed on a 32 acre expanse skirted by the Miami skyline and the Biscayne Bay waterfront, and by the time Beresford Hammond was introduced to the audience the park was bursting at the seams and the sea of bodies stretched close to the intercoastal waterway from where Hammond appeared a mere dot in the distance. Nonetheless, the members of the audience who were there were still skanking and singing with wild abandon and Beres crooned his way into their collective musical psyche.

By his standards, Hammond delivered an abbreviated set as the 10 PM cut off time loomed. However, he still had time to introduce his grandson Kingston to the stage and allow fellow reggae singer, Jessie Royal, to get his bite of the cherry and the audience warmed to him. From the opening notes until Hammond exited centre stage at approximately 9:30 PM, the concert was well produced with tight stage management and smooth transition between acts. But all that would be upended due to a lengthy band change to facilitate the entry of show closer, Buju Banton.

After a few minutes of dead air, the resident sound system kept the audience occupied by churning out a selection of 90s dancehall hits which went over well. But the band change was taking too long and some sections of the audience began getting restless as their patience wore thin. The show was advertised to end at 10, but it was close to that time that Buju bustled on stage and went straight into Gragamel mode after abandoning his usual ‘praise and worship’ opening. Although weary and well-entertained by the previous acts, the majority of the bodies inside the park remained firmly rooted and lapped up Buju’s offerings. After some 20 minutes The Gargamel switched modes and raised the level of consciousness and provided a fitting end to the event.

The concert organisers should be commended for installing adequate numbers of portable bathrooms and food was readily available at strategic points throughout the venue. Entrance into the event was smooth and security was tight. However, a couple hours before the concert ended all forms of liquid refreshment were sold out.

“There is not even water at the bar,” one patron told the Observer.

Long lines snaked from the bars early in the day and the wait time to be served drinks was a bit hard on the impatient.

Miami is notorious for snarling traffic and parking is known to be a problem in the city. This cannot be heaped upon the shoulders of the Best of the Best crew, but it has been a constant complaint coming from those who have attended the event yearly.

Organisers of the Best of the Best concert would do well to revamp the treatment of journalists who record their event through the medium of writing. As while photographers and videographers were allowed access to vantage points to capture visual records, writers had a real problem viewing centre stage and were forced to improvise in order to professionally record and retell the events as they unfolded.

That apart, the Best of the Best concert continues to be a landmark event on the South Florida entertainment calender and this year only underlined the concert’s importance to the vibrant culture born in the Caribbean.