It was advertised as the party with a difference, with the emphasis on “par-tay”. It was not a stage show; it was not a concert, however, there would be performance from what the organisers termed “dancehall’s finest”.

But, in this dancehall culture, Hennessey Artistry turned out to be another stage show, peopled by the usual suspects and not very well attended.

Perhaps the only difference was that the ‘Henny’ flowed all night long, and the promised transformation of the grounds of the Cable and Wireless Golf Academy was sheer artistry. Once you stepped in, you had to go “Wow!”

The central point was the huge, well designed dancefloor, which beckoned patrons to come and Nuh Linga, Gully Creep or just bruk out. But clearly patrons didn’t get the memo that said the dancefloor was for dancing, so they – in true dancehall style – stood on the periphery, totally caught up in their intense profiling, pausing at times to look at the seven (obviously paid) dancers who were the night’s only takers.

Year-to-year sound, Stone Love, kept the place rocking and even though at 10:00 pm the venue was almost empty, the vibes were right the selectors ensured that it kept building throughout the night. When at 12:30 am things fell a bit flat, DJ Shines, who was at the control of the wheels of steel, injected some rhythm into the night with some real fling-down-your-foot on-the-dancefloor kind of tunes that would have had the right crowd racing to the fabulous dancefloor to dance “underneath electric stars”.

Almost an hour later, the Stone Love selector finally announced that it was showtime and the small crowd shuffled to the front, ready to get their fill of Queen Ifrica. And she delivered. From Nuff Vibes (De Pon Di Dancefloor) to Brown Skin, her breakout single Below Di Waist, Daddy (in Spanish), all-time favourite Lioness On The Rise, Montego Bay and Let Me Grow (No Bwoy), the Rastafarian empress stamped her brand of class on Hennessey Artistry.

While it came as no surprise that renowned Hennessey disciple, Beenie Man, was on this line-up, his lacklustre performance was puzzling. He started off quite well, only to announce in his second song that he was changing up his set, much to the detriment of his performance. The King of the Dancehall gave an ad hoc, punchline-filled set in which he seemed to randomly grab songs from the various stages of his career. Perhaps recognising that the audience was getting a bit restless, he told them that if they wanted bad man songs, they would “haffi wait until the bad man deejay dem come pon stage”, in obvious reference to Bounty Killer and Mavado, who were also billed for the event.

And indeed, Miss Ivy last son, rose to the occasion. Bounty wasn’t cross, angry and miserable; he was just a bit angry – at children carrying guns to school, at the bleaching crisis, at men with piercings, including those of the ears (he has taken out his earrings); at “di man who wear dem pants dung a dem b*##y”; at the moral decay in Jamaica, at artistes who sing about wanting virgins and at “some a oonu eediat people” (this pointing directly into the crowd) who “a boost up freaky artiste”.

The Killer was refreshing and the crowd – even the “eediats” – loved him. And, in the mood that he was in, it was only to be expected that the Alliance CEO would have a few choice words for the “bleach out face, alien, hunchback bwoy”.

With last Thursday’s release of the damning picture with Gaza princess Lisa Hype and an organ, Kartel was fair game. Killer naturally made mention of it, so too did Mavado, who closed the show – “A no gangsta ting dat”. And even the Queen of the Dancehall, Lady Saw, while declaring that she is one girl who doesn’t involve herself in people’s business, just couldn’t resist giving her amusing take on the “mix up on the Gaza”, while performing her anti-fellatio song Sycamore Tree. “It was under the Sycamore Tree/A bwoy ask me fi bow and a tell him fi flee.”

Lady Saw, during her set, walked out with a theme – declaring war on “any gal who tink dem can tek wey you man”. Quickly getting rid of her very high heels, the Mumma showed why she is dancehall’s best loved diva. She kept her arguments several levels above raw and even took out her Marion Hall alter ego to deliver one single song. And, with a chuckle, she did her song in praise of the “big belly woman”. Saw was at her engaging best and made her exit on the right Gaza note.

Elephant Man was his usual bag of dancing tricks and he excited the patrons, who finally made some use of the dancefloor. He whipped a surprise out of his back pocket and brought up the controversial Ishawna on stage, declaring that she is now a singer. Referring to her as the First Lady, they did two songs together, after which Ele declared that “Ishawna bus”, and she really seemed to believe that he spoke words

of truth.