YardFlex.com: Unite The People delivered as its name suggested

April 05, 2007

Unite The People delivered as its name suggested

By: Joseph Cunningham
Photos by: Carlington Wilmot

Unite the People, the annual stage-show hosted by Reggae crooner Iley Dread, was indeed a unifying force.

With a number of Stella performances from some of Jamaica's leading musical talents, the show proceeded from Saturday night through to early Sunday morning without any tensions or rifts.

When the YardFlex.com team arrived at minutes after 11 the smooth sound of Montego Bay based singer Mackie Conscious caressed the atmosphere. Soon after, he reflected on his musical career while singing lines from his latest hit, 'A Jus lucky mi nuh lucky'.

As the show proceeded a number of upcoming artistes tried their luck, chief among them being Jah Mel whose prayerful mood captivated the huge gathering as he chanted Oh Jah Bless the Fruit of My Labour.
Performances were broken into segments to allow a number of sound-system selectors to embark on what seemed to be a conscious effort to 'prime up' the audience for the major acts.

The queen of Reggae, Marcia Griffiths was the first major act to make a significant connection with the audience. Ascending the stage at 1:50 Sunday Morning, she was dressed in 'royal apparel', like a queen, in full pink. Her royal attire seemed to capture the imagination of the audience, which seemed spell - bound even before the singer delivered her first song. Before she started singing, I wanna get closer, audience was already rocking, and the reaction when she began was devastating. It was even more entertaining to watch Marcia Griffiths deliver a song in Dancehall style. While being given this the treat the audience went wild.

The man of the moment, Iley Dread seemingly felt ' the vibes', as the set he delivered is being touted as one of his all-time best. Maxi Priest, veteran international recording artiste performed a little earlier than was expected, but his energetic set was the beginning of a marathon segment of 'show-stopping' performances. The 'high priest' of Reggae music began his set at 3:10 with a cover of Dennis Emmanuel Browns', Faith followed by his own hits. He was especially well received by the females, as he delivered in vintage 'Maxi' style.

It was then a Dancehall craze! At 5:07 Capelton began the set that 'stole the show'. It was like his halcyon days! The fireman had the audience giving thunderous cheers for every song he delivered, accompanied by many fire torches and lighters that created a furious but beautiful atmosphere. Lotion Woman, Bad Mind, Or Wha and Burning You all connected 'big time'.

The original fireman Anthony B encouraged warring factions in the Dancehall to live peacefully during his set, Mr.Boombastic, Shaggy pleased the dancehall audience and at 5:40 Erupt revealed that gyal a run certain man head. At 5:46 Dancehall Queen Lady Saw gave a performance that came closet to topping Capelton's. She was in a raunchy but creative and entertaining mood, and at the end of her set the audience was begging for more. Sizzla and Macka Diamond represented well, and so did Beenie Man and D'Angel at the end.

Patrons who made the journey to the Montpellier show-ground in St.James left satisfied. Security at the event was excellent and there was a free flow of traffic. Hats off to the organizers from the YardFlex family.

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April 05, 2007

Unite The People delivered as its name suggested

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