Sanchez steals the show at Love in the Gardens

When Sanchez touched the stage at 8:45 p.m. at Hope Gardens on Sunday, with his signature opening song, Here I Am, it was clear that the “big chune” segment had arrived. Audience reaction aside, just his suit alone, fiery red jacket and vest with matching pants, a white inside shirt, shiny red shoes and a red felt hat, announced that the singer was ready to fling down a show-stopping pre-Valentine’s Day performance for his fans.

For one solid hour, Kevin Jackson rocked the Gardens, turned it upside down and inside out, as he had patrons out of their seats singing along, capturing his performance on their phones, bussing blanks, demanding pull ups and cosying up to their significant other all at once. Backed by his band, Chronic, the big artiste took Love in the Gardens on a fantastic journey through his songs. He pulled the curtains down with the evergreen Amazing Grace, to thunderous applause and a standing ovation, mindful of leaving some of the “forwards” for his namesake, Freddie Jackson, the internationally acclaimed R&B singer, who was really the show closer.

“I just love me some Sanchez,” Bridgett Anderson, Samory I’s manager told The Gleaner, and, from the reactions, she spoke for all the women inside the venue.

On a magical high, Sanchez established a new level of interaction with the audience as he acknowledged “the beautiful ladies out there in the audience”, delved into his catalogue and pulled out gems such as Missing You, Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone, Brown Eye Girl, Baby Can I Hold You Tonight, Never Dis The Man, Let Me Love You Down, Frenzy, and Pretty Girl.

And, Sanchez even had a trick up his dapper sleeve. Less than 20 minutes into his performance, just as he pulled for the old school, lovers rock favourite, Let me Love You Down and receiving another of those “pull upppppp!” responses from the audience. The place, as they say “lif up”. The newly engaged Dr Beenie Man casually walked on stage, hailed up his friend Sanchez and, with mic in hand, started deejaying Wickedest Slam. The crowd went wild as, displaying brotherly love, the big singer and the big deejay showed exactly what it means to entertain.

After thanking Beenie Man, Sanchez continued solo, thrilling with I will be your Hero, Night Nurse, Picture Hanging on the Wall, Love and Hate and Thinking Out Loud.

For part two of his performance, Sanchez, whose gospel songs catalogue is just as in demand as his secular, took Love in the Gardens to church with a hand-clapping, foot-shaking Pentecostal meets Revival segment that was simply out of this world.

“Wherever I roam I always remember the Man up above,” Sanchez told the crowd as he belted out a string of gospel favourites including Why me Lord, Goodness of God, Real Real Real, Lay Down My Burden, Soon be Done, Some Glad Morning, I’ll Fly Away, A Little More oil in my Lamp, Across the Bridge, What a Mighty God We Serve, and Some Day I’ll Go Where Jesus Is.

At 9:27 p.m., a patron at the front said quietly, “Now time for Amazing Grace.” Four minutes later, Chronic struck up Amazing Grace, the gospel favourite which Sanchez has enshrined in the dancehall as one of that genre’s biggest anthems. Hitting the notes loud and incredibly long, the man with the golden voice was given a standing ovation.

Half an hour later, twice Grammy-nominated American R&B singer, Freddie Jackson, commanded the stage with his band, looking and sounding impressive on stage. He even had red roses for some of the ladies who were only too eager to get up close and accept.

The audience was ready to embrace Freddie Jackson and showed their full appreciation, singing word-for-word when he got around to favourites such as his mega-hits All I’ll Ever Ask, You Are My Lady and Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time’s Sake).

Prior to Sanchez, Alaine, the only female on the five-artiste lineup, dazzled in a shimmering gown, with vocals to match. Her set was eclectic and saw her choosing Gregory Issacs’ Tune In, Beres Hammond’s No Disturb, which had a back story – she loved the song as a child but always wondered “tired of what” – her 2008 collab with Beenie Man, I’m Dreaming, the video for which has 10 million views on YouTube, Lionel Richie’s Hello, after which she segued smoothly into Adele’s Hello.

Comfortable with her audience, she gave them the love songs for which they yearned and had fun as she closed her set with See it Yah, her recent collab with Dexta Daps. Alaine’s message which she shared with all was: “Let’s live a life of love and not wait until Valentine’s [Day]to show people that we love them.”

Digicel Rising Stars 2023 winner, Remone Watson, opened the show in style, followed by singing group, Island Kings.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com