‘Vibes on the Island’ . . . hit or miss?

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen the purpose of a fun night out is to raise funds for charity, it is like adding icing to an already well-frosted cake! Sunday’s Vibes on the Island, at Pigeon Island National Park certainly proved a delectable treat. Hosted by the Sandals Foundation, the event successfully attracted a dense and particularly diverse crowd, due, in part, to the night’s assorted performer line up.

Barrington Levy, though he was reportedly grazed by a bullet in the back merely four days earlier, opened the show, blasting his audience back to the past with a slew of his hits: ‘Be Strong’, ‘My Woman’, ‘Work’, ‘Too Experienced’ and others. Levy, who at 54-years-old sounds as great live as he does on his records, performed for a crowd of enthusiastic locals and foreigners, most of whom committedly sang along to every lyric throughout the singer’s set. Levy interjected messages of love and unity into his hour-long gig and, despite a hearty thank you to his receptive audience before his departure, was summoned back onstage via uproarious encores. He topped off his performance with a zealous, lengthened rendition of the 1993 hit ‘Vice Versa Love’.

Next up, DJ Hyper D and DJ Sir Lancealot stuck to the old school theme. “If you’re over the age of 23, let me see you raise your hands!” bellowed Sir Lance through his microphone. When he saw the jungle of pumping fists he added: “Then you’re old enough to appreciate this tune right here!” The tune was Beenie Man’s ‘Romie’ which rang through the park via surround sound speakers. Dancehall classics from the late 80s to the early 2000s continued until the DJs finished off with a local favourite, Blackboy’s ‘Fire’.

The temperature skyrocketed from there. When the music ceased the night’s MC, Mareen Alexander, stomped on stage with a look of desperation etched into her eyebrows. She was annoyed that Fire had been cut short and wanted to keep the party going. With her exaggerated look of desire, she called for a replay while warning her daughter, who stood attentively in the front row, that despite what she was about to witness, discipline would continue as per usual at home. The eager MC readied herself with that identifiable Caribbean girl squat, Blackboy’s ‘Fire’ returned, cueing the MC’s waist and rear end to tick tock to the beat. It only lasted a few seconds, however, then it was back to the night’s scheduled programming.

Dancehall Queen and cast member of popular American reality show Love & Hip Hop, Spice later made her way onstage with her ample curves hugged tight by an emblazoned body suit. She claimed she could not herself dance, by way of explaining the presence of Nutmeg and Cinnamon—her two dancers in black leotards, suitably branded “Team Spice”. Yet, there was more spice to be had—not on stage, however. The singer lowered herself to a chair conveniently placed at the foot of the podium and, with a raised arm harnessing Moses-type powers, she parted the crowd. A path was cleared before Spice leapt down to seek the willing: ladies who would show off their best dance moves. After a serious session of rump shaking, Spice returned to the stage to perform her catalogue of hits, all the while treating the audience to messages of girl power, a dance-off and a segment where girls were made to prove their loyalty to their absent boyfriends by answering spontaneous questions about their partners, spewed at them at lightning speed. Nearly 30 minutes in, Spice announced her performance was coming to an end. Shocked gasps rose up from the audience. It didn’t help matters when Spice explained that it was all she could manage, since her performance was censored. She left amidst shouts for more, to no avail. The MC came on stage to deliver the sad news that Spice would not be back.

King Arthur eased the pain, first with his regional hit ‘Who I Am’—the Looshan version—then into a series of soca from across the Caribbean. Sedale Semi, Superman HD and Ezra d’ Fun Machine came on in turn,   spinning a frenzied crowd determined to keep the party going. The night ended with Ezra’s performance, which was accented by crowd sauntering stilt-walkers, fire-eaters and skilled dancers, with the singer beckoning the audience to “swim his way”.

In a nutshell, the Sandals Foundation’s first episode of Vibes on the Island in Saint Lucia was a success. Proceeds from the night will be donated to the Faces of Cancer support group and the Salvation Army Child Centre in Castries.