Inner-city stars to sparkle at MoBay’s ‘Peace Concert’
Published:Thursday | February 13, 2020 | 12:00 AMAdrian Frater/News Editor
Western Bureau:
Unlike previous years, the annual Montego Bay ‘Peace Concert’ – which has been added to this year’s Reggae Month calendar and will be staged at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex on Sunday, February 23 – will feature artistes primarily from volatile inner-city communities.
“We are delighted that we have been added to the Reggae Month calendar, which has increased the profile of the event,” said veteran entertainer Dennis ‘Mackie Conscious’ McKay, of Entertainers Against Crime and Violence, the promoter of this event. “We are double delighted that we will be featuring talents from communities, which were better known for crime and violence.”
According to McKay, over recent years, communities such as Canterbury, Flankers, Norwood, Rose Heights, Mt Salem, Salt Spring and Granville have developed a reputation of being hotbeds of crime and violence, so he is thrilled that this year’s staging of the ‘peace concert’ will showcase the various communities in a positive light through the entertainers.
“Having decided on the novel concept, we went into the communities and through the recommendation of the residents, we located the talents that the community wants to represent them,” said McKay. “While we have not announced the line-up, which will feature some established stars, the communities are very excited about the platform that we have created to expose their stars.
“This year more than 75 per cent of the over 65 performers we are hoping to showcase hail from these communities and other communities across Montego Bay. Our plan is to empower and showcase the best of the city,” said McKay, who noted that the event is being staged under the theme, 'Be important with an instrument other than a weapon'.
The acts already endorsed by the communities include artistes such as Kerbet (Salt Spring), Ash Lavish (Norwood), Smokey (Canterbury), Collie Metric (Mt Salem), Satta Ranks (Rose Heights), and STLA (Flanker).
While the promoters have made no confirmation, Montego Bay is home to established stars such as Queen Ifrica, Hezron, Jah Cure, Tommy Lee Sparta, Rygin King, Teejay and Daddy One, among others. In previous stagings of the event, some of the listed acts have performed, much to the delight of their home-based fans.
Two of Montego Bay’s top sound systems, Electroforce and Ticka Musik, will be providing music leading up to the concert, which is slated to start at 3 p.m. During the earlier hours, Showjam Entertainment will provide fun and games.
In addition to the endorsement of the Ministry of Sports and Culture, the event has also been endorsed by the St James Municipal Corporation.