Chris Brown fans get their wish

After weeks of anticipation and murmurs about the now infamous sky view suite, Breezy fans from all over the world descended on to the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, to witness Chris Brown and Friends, Under the Influence.

Backed by a host of Jamaican artistes, the concert came as the culmination of weekend of activities in the Corporate Area.

It started on Friday with Haute Jamaica and Memba Dis, dubbed the Ultimate Ol’ Skool Party. While coasting off the always reliable appeal of dancehall nostalgia, Memba Dis suffered from what seemed to the downfall of the entire weekend - logistics. Though initially slated for Hope Gardens, the venue was changed to Holy Smokes Grill and Chill on Waterloo Road mere hours before the event. Similarly, the Indigo Soirée, which was set to also be hosted at Hope Gardens, was changed to the Grand Hotel Excelsior Port Royal, the same event where the Rise and Toast brunch was hosted earlier in the day leaving fans unsure whether they would be attending one event or two.

Regardless of these logistical hiccups, by all accounts the BZR Weekend became a success as soon as the title headliner descended on to the stage from a the mist.

Setting the stage for his entrance, local acts like Aidonia, who announced that he and his wife, Kimberly Megan, were welcoming their second child; Ding Dong; Teejay and Gramps Morgan only upped the ante with their own stellar performances.

Finally taking the stage just minutes after midnight on Monday, Brown opened with Indigo, the title track for his ninth studio album.

Taking no time to slow down, the artiste launched into Yeah 3X, then Party and Ayo.

His vocal heavy performance only made more impressive by the wealth of intricate choreography that he pulled.

It was several songs before he greeted the audience.

“Jamaica!” He screamed into the night. “Y’all look so beautiful tonight. First and foremost, I wanna say thank you guys for allowing me to be here tonight. I ain’t been here in so long but feel like it’s the right time tonight.”

For two hours, Brown and his cast of 14 dancers, including two who he says are from Jamaica, flipped and danced and recreated scenes from his most famous music videos.

Only stopping for a brief intermission, during which Valiant, one of Jamaica’s newest and most sought-after performers, kept the crowd entertained with his repertoire of hits. Jumping from Motorcade to Dunce Cheque to Mad out, Valiant disappeared as suddenly as he came, making way for Breezy to return.

Returning in a yellow ensemble of acid-washed jeans and plaid shirt, the artiste wasted no time bouncing between his dance heavy club tracks to ballads.

Seemingly realising his discography was too vast for his slated time, Brown introduced a game where he would display three songs on the screen and allow the audience to choose which he would perform.

During the three rounds, Brown performed near a cappella versions of Say Goodbye, No Air and New Flame.

Ending the night with Go Crazy, Brown vowed to return soon. Ending minutes after 2 a.m., seemingly no audience member was left dissatisfied, save for the media who prior to Brown’s entrance were removed their allotted space.

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com