Port Royal Seafood Festival growing in numbers and awareness

Despite predictions of rain which caused other events to be postponed last weekend, great vibes, fantastic performances, delicious food, lots of prizes – even including $200,00 in cash, courtesy of Swift Car Rentals ambassador, Emperor L A Lewis – decorated the table at Sunday’s Grace Tropical Rhythms Port Royal Seafood Festival held at the Grand Hotel Excelsior.

“We would have had more [patrons] if it wasn’t raining in Kingston, St Catherine and Portmore,” conceptualiser Jennifer ‘Jenny Jenny’ Small told The Gleaner. “We are grateful that most people came in the evening after the rains. The show was outstanding and the reviews are pouring in non-stop with appreciation.”

Now in its 19th year, Small shared that the festival has grown “in numbers and in awareness”.

“It’s a calendar event that brings out Jamaicans and foreigners. This year, not just English-speaking visitors, but we had an entire Spanish-speaking group from Cuba. This is the only festival where patrons enjoy boat rides, a tour of a historical site, vacation at Grand Hotel Excelsior, plus a festival,” Small said.

It was definitely a night with a difference. The antics of the self-styled emperor, L A Lewis, morphed from a “live” on social media, where he told fans that he would be making his way to the festival to give away some cash, to that scenario actually playing out live at the venue. As expected, L A Lewis’ arrival on stage caused quite a stir and his cash giveaways were certainly well received.

“We drew from the entry box. Some got $20,000 and others received $10,000. It was more than $200,000,” Small confirmed, adding that Swift Car Rentals is one of the festival’s sponsors.

With a line-up that boasted Capleton, Nigy Boy, Carey Sayles and his wife, Sharilyn, the Jamaican Michael Jackson, Fiyaneer, Tearah and others, the day ended on a high. Each act had a message which resonated with the patrons. The Sayles’ blessed the place and created a mood of gratitude around their theme of ‘highly favoured’, with songs such as Life to me from their soon-to-be-released album, Favoured, and a rousing song service using well-known choruses that had full audience participation.

For up-and-coming act Fiyaneer, consciousness was his theme, and he showed a lot of guts as he loudly hit out against the ills of social media and asked some tough questions about the various responses to criminality.

Prior to the arrival of the closing acts, it was ‘Michael Jackson’ who buss di place, and truth be told, he was the arguably the best act of the night. It was at 8:23 p.m., to much fanfare, that Michael Jackson was called on stage. He was escorted to the side of the stage by a helper who sheltered him under an umbrella. Dressed in a white jacket, black pants, hat, slicked-back hair, white face, blue silk shirt, and dancing to Michael Jackson’s The way you make me feel, the Jamaica act paid tribute to his hero. He had a number of wardrobe changes as he dramatically made his way through some of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits in the 20 minutes he was allotted.

He was the essence of drama as he thrilled with the moonwalk. Kids and adults alike were totally captivated and screamed in appreciation, as they used their cell phones to capture the moment. For Thriller, Michael Jackson brought the music video to life with a trio of ghoulish monsters taking over the stage with a dance routine that made kids scamper in fear mingled with excitement, as they ran for their lives away from the ‘duppies’.

Afterwards, however, some of the brave ones and their parents proudly posed for pictures with Michael and the monsters.

By 8:55 p.m., it was time for another round of deafening screams. Nigy Boy had arrived on stage and the women in particular showed that they were waiting for the Continental Boss. To calm things down, Nigy Boy opened with the song which has become an anthem both in the dancehall and in the church, Goodness of God. They loved it. He scored again with Soul Provider, Can we Talk for a Minute, and Love and Affection, before delving into his own catalogue and giving fans what they had come for. The crowning glory from the self-proclaimed Continental Gyalis was his mega hit, Continent. Nigy Boy’s 15 minutes were way too short for most, but he appeased by having the emcee announce that he would be available to take pictures with fans after exiting the stage.

Show closer was the ‘Fireman’, Capleton, whose presence onstage was announced by the arrival of his flagman, Fyah Stone, whose flag seems to get bigger with each performance. Capleton’s theme was the twin flames of “good ova evil” and self-reliance. High energy was the name of his game and so, too, was copious words of advice and inspiration. However, he did succeed in delivering the songs that his fans wanted to hear, and they showed appreciation with an energy that matched his.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com