‘Day nah light ‘til a mawnin’

“Memba seh day nah light til a mawnin,” the selectors at Stone Love’s 52nd anniversary dance party told the crowd at 2:30 on Sunday morning as more and more patrons turned up to party with the legendary sound system.

The venue was the the D’Lux Restaurant & Lounge on Caledonia Avenue in Kingston, and it was buzzing with activity. From as early as 10 p.m., patrons had started entering, enjoying the early juggling from the selectors on duty. Throughout the night, they would hear from the Stone Love crew, Bad Gyal Marie, Alonzo Hawk, DJ Ray, Glen Stinga, Bad Boy Cha Cha, Bass Odyssey, Boom Boom, & Harry Hype.

Stone Love anniversary usually draws a more mature crowd, but this time, it was a mixed crowd that stepped out to support the legendary sound at the Campari-sponsored event, and the dress code ranged from casually elegant to fashionably formal.

Outside the venue, rows of cars squeezed themselves into every available tiny space. The VIP and other car parks were full to capacity, and the numbers kept increasing.

There were actually three big events on Saturday night, with the other two being the Umbrella Evening Brunch at the National Stadium and Strictly 2k, a stone’s throw away, at Mas Camp. All had their crowd, and since Stone Love was the “day nah light til a mawnin” event, many of the Umbrella patrons, including Bounty Killer, who hosted and performed, found their way to D’Lux to party the night away in keeping with Stone Love’s theme this year.

Strictly 2K went beyond its usual 2 a.m. lock-off, and they had none other than Vybz Kartel himself inside the venue. He was one of three persons being honoured by the promoters, and although he didn’t perform, just being in his presence seemed to be more than enough for his adoring fans.

As part of their eighth anniversary celebrations this year, Strictly 2K presented awards to the Vybz Kartel, Keiva Di Diva, and Chromatic Sound.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com