Muted crowd, good performances at Fireworks on the Waterfront
Published:Tuesday | January 2, 2024 | 12:09 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
The 2023 staging of the annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront festival by the Urban Development Corporation took on special significance this year as the organisers celebrated the event’s 20th occurrence. The new and improved stage was definitely a winner, and, while the new layout created great optics, it presented a barrier between the performers and the loyal throngs who crowd onto Ocean Boulevard each year to watch their favourite artistes.
The decision to relocate the VIP section directly in front of the stage meant that the crowd was pushed too far back and this severely curtailed the energy flow from them to the artistes. With that natural synergy interrupteded, the artistes had to work thrice as hard, because the VIP crowd had spent their money to comfortably enjoy the all-inclusive cuisine and the performances - and they certainly did - rather than to jump and rail and ‘boom flick’ out their appreciation for the artistes.
“Why the crowd so far?” a concerned female artiste quizzed one of the organisers after she had performed.
And, also, in what was certainly a surprise, the prime minister himself, along with his wife, sons and entourage, arrived in the venue at minutes to midnight, during the performance of gospel artiste Rondell Positive, and offered a positive message before setttling down in VIP with his family.
Despite the challenges, however, the performers managed to give a good account of themselves as they filled the waterfront with reggae, lovers’ rock, roots, and a sprinkling of dancehall. Third World, Nadine Sutherland, Rondell Positive, Ras-I, Kumar, Sevana, D’Yani, Yard Empire, Angel Eyes, Courtney Cooke and Kuzik brought their distinct flair to the New Year’s Eve gala.
It was interesting to witness Kuzik handling themselves with confidence on a big stage after seeing the group once only, at the launch of their EP, Hot Wata, last August. Their roots songs and “positive dancehall” messages were well received. Nadine Sutherland can’t help being a dynamo, and she rode the Bam Bam riddim with expertise, unleashing both Toots’ and Sister Nancy’s songs, as well as Chaka Demus and Pliers’ Murder She Wrote. She was smooth on Jimmy Cliff’s I Can See Clearly Now (1993) and closed her set with the song that remains one of dancehall’s biggest collaborations, Action (Nadine Sutherland and Terror Fabulous, 1992).
The other female artiste in prime time was Sevana. Rocking an itsy-bitsy jeans skirt, knee-high boots, and a gloved-sleeve body suit, the Love Yuh Like Mango songstress made Beris Hammond’s Double Trouble her own as she sang and danced. Getting a tad moody, Sevana mentioned the “ups and downs and all sorts of tragedies ... if you are like me. You don’t know what goes on behind the smiles”, before singing I’m Blessed.
Roots artistes Kumar and Ras-I had the audience’s attention during their separate sets, but more audience interaction would have taken it to another level. After a particularly impressive, high-energy verse, Ras-I paused and told the band, “Mi nuh business if dem nuh waan mek nuh noise, a we a pull it up!”
And pull it up he did.
Rondell Positive and his three backup singers who doubled as dancers brought another level of energy, which even connected with Prime Minister Holness, who told him publicly that he enjoyed his set.
Dressed in a red jacket paired with and Underarmor shirt, Rondell was More Than Conqueror as he recited the national pledge and anthem and shared that within those words were the solution to the crime problem.
Promising to “trample bad mind in 2024” he had the audience singing the rousing chorus “He’s all ova me and he’s keeping me alive/Jesus is keeping me alive.”
Emcee Richie B, who was accompanied by his wife Suzette and their two sons - one of whom was celebrating his birthday - had the job of bringing in the New Year, as he counted down alongside the huge clock on the screen. On the stroke of midnight, the night sky lit up with fireworks as the moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived.
At 12 :15 a.m., closing act Third World entered centrestage and masterfully delivered a set which included Reggae Ambassador, Now that we’ve found Love, Forbidden Love, 96 Degrees in the Shade, Sense of Purpose, Always Around, Feeling Lonely and Redemption Song.