Patrons treated to potpourri of music

The grounds of the Emerald Valley Casino were once again filled with the sound of music, as the 9th edition of the Blues and Rhythms Festival took place with almost hitch free clockwork.{{more}}

Patrons of the two-night event were treated to a wide range of music, not only the rhythm and blues that was expected, but calypso, soca, reggae and hip hop.

Collin Peters and the Country Relatives, a band from the Grenadine isle of Bequia, got the festival started and set the pace for the acts that were to follow.

Veteran band Touch took patrons back with a number of their greatest hits.

The band with the greatest number of road march wins took the stage with the majority of its original members and one new face to the group.

Another veteran to grace the stage was Trinidadian David Rudder, who also took patrons back with classics like ‘The Hammer’, ‘Bahia Girl’, ‘Haiti’ and cricket anthem ‘Rally Round the West Indies’.

The local sound system came in for high praise from Rudder, who has a Vincentian heritage.

Jazz musician Mike Phillips, who specializes with the saxophone, thrilled the crowd with his lung capacity, as well as his hip hop skills.

Phillips, who plays for legendary R&B singer Prince, was followed by the night’s headliner Regina Belle.

Belle’s soulful, religious performance brought down the curtains on the first night of the festival.

Night two, which could be considered ladies night, saw the chairs on the lawn being placed further back, to set the stage for the party that was to follow.

Bands Axcess and Hottsand set the tone for performances by Gideon James, Kyron Baptiste and Jamesy P.

R&B sensation Freddy Jackson had the crowd, which was dominated by females swooning to hits like ‘Main course’, ‘You Are My Lady’, ‘Hey Lover’ and ‘Rock Me Tonight’ before the night’s headliner Shaggy took over.

The Jamaican performer, accompanied by sidekicks Rik Rok and Rayvon and band Tantrum, took fans back to the 80’s with dancehall classics like ‘Big Up’, ‘Summertime’, ‘It Wasn’t Me’, ‘Strength of a Woman’, ‘Boombastic’ and also performed songs from his new album Intoxication: ‘Bonafide Girl’ and ‘What’s Love’.

The party continued after the last performance, with the majority of the patrons staying on, partying to DJ music as the curtains came down on what could be considered another successful staging of the Blues and Rhythms Festival. (JJ)