A memorable Labour Day Concert at Emancipation Park

On Labour Day, Emancipation Park was transformed into praise and worship central as hundreds turned out to enjoy the free gospel concert staged annually by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. For close to four hours, gospel songs galore filled every nook and cranny of the park, as some of the island's top gospel singers gave show-stopping performances that had the huge crowd singing, dancing, and praising.

It was a night on which gospel singer, Kukudoo, was remembered through his songs, a minute of silence, lights, and a tribute from Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange. She told the audience that “Kukudoo was a bridge between the traditions of Jamaica’s revivalist faith and more contemporary Jamaican music, where he creatively overlaid his beliefs with a certain, special vibe” and pledged that his legacy would live on. David ‘Kukudoo’ McDermott passed away on May 8 after a brief battle with cancer.

The evening’s penultimate act, Prodigal Son, was a winner from he stepped on stage in a mint green suit, paired with a white long-sleeved shirt, singing that “blessing a run mi down” and fully interacting with the crowd. “Down a town, what a gwaan! Cherry Gardens what a gwaan! St Thomas, what a gwaan” he shouted, getting everybody involved, jumping off the stage and into the crowd. The “ragamuffin Christian bwoy” had his praise fully on as he toasted  over a bouncy dancehall riddim, “Mi love God bad bad, bad, bad, bad, bad bad,” and the masses loved it.

The Prodigal Son has returned may sound clichéd, but that's exactly what happened, as the artiste who is returning after a hiatus, energetically and commandingly took the concert to higher heights. And, although he used the opportunity to mention his June 6 album launch at the Swallowfield Chapel in Kingston, the night was really about connecting with fans.

"Mek yuh did haffi gwaan so pon di people dem stage?"a delighted fan asked Prodigal Son as he stepped off the stage, and that compliment, in essence, summed up his performance. Prodigal owned the stage. He didn’t just sing his songs, he introduced them with stories that resonated. He shared a story about meeting Capleton on a flight and the Fireman told him “Yuh see you Prodigal, you a one Christian Rasta … yuh nuh stop bun di fire. Yuh sing one song, enuh  yute  … yuh sing one song!” He smoothly segued into said song – Bongo Town – chanting “Gospel fi preach down a Bongo Town!”.  And, if that call to Rastafari wasn’t enough, Prodigal later cemented it with another gem, Lava Ground. 

During his set, Prodigal remembered those in the west who are still rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa last October, and he spoke at length about love and unity. He demonstrated that when he called on stage Shepherd, a gospel artiste who has not performed in Jamaica in too long. Shepherd’s What a Day had the same impact as when it was released 20 years ago. 

 Prodigal also declared loudly that “there will be no gatekeeping in gospel”, even as he called on stage up-and-coming gospel singer, Perry InChrist. A no-nonsense youth with a big stage presence and even bigger lyrics, Perry InChrist made excellent use of his three minutes of prime time, leaving an indelible mark on the crowd.

“We have to give the youth a chance,” Prodigal Son told The Gleaner earnestly. “Tonight was excellent … the energy was right. I was just loving my people. It’s Labour Day … it’s national … it’s energy. I felt the camaraderie, I felt the love and I was just giving it back.”

In an exciting giveaway, Prodigal promised $50,000 to the first person to follow him on Instagram.

HUGE CROWD

The gospel concert started on time with a huge crowd that just got bigger as the night progressed. Following an intense juggling from DJ Chinny, and the welcome from emcees Nadine Blair and Markland Edwards – who make a great team – the Unity Singers opened with a 15-minute high-energy set that swelled the praises and laid the foundation for what was a night to remember. 

A Jamaica Gospel Stars flashback segment saw individual performances from last year’s winner, Raheim Betty; Joraine Welsh, who placed second and is now married to popular gospel singer, Johnmark Wiggan; and Donielle Anderson. They reminded fans exactly why they came out on top.  

Sebastian Braham, the singer from St Ann who one patron declared “bad like 10 bull cow”,  proved to be just that. No stranger to the Labour Day concert stage, he connected instantly with his audience and delivered gospel favourites that had them singing word-for-word. 

At 8:32 p.m., gospel minister Julene Minto took control of centre stage and was full of praise for God who has been “rewriting [her] story”.  Full of hallelujah vibes, she was unable to stand still and threw down a rollicking performance that saw her rocking, jumping and shouting, as she told fans, “if yuh cyaan rock, I want to see yuh moving yuh foot dem … I want to see yuh move yuh shoulders … move yuh hand dem”.  

Coming right after an intermission at 8:54 p.m. was gospel’s newest poster boy, Johnmark Wiggan. The award-winning gospel star was one of two artistes given half an hour sets and he charted a course that saw patrons being fully engaged and loving his every lyric. At times, he had his guitar and slowed down the pace, and, at other times, it was a full-blown, up-tempo series of songs which delighted his fans.

By 9:39 p.m., Lubert Levy was ready, and he was there to “tek it by force”. The veteran gospel singer needed no introduction, and the only thing was that his set of 10 minutes was too short.

Closing act, Jabez, was the perfect choice to round out the Labour Day concert on a high.

“It was an excellent concert, and it featured acts who we have not seen performing for a while in Jamaica, so it was nice and fresh,” Minister Grange told The Gleaner.

“ It was a mix of the old timers and the young Christians. The audience enjoyed it thoroughly and we will continue to have this interesting mix of genres within gospel. We always have gospel during Workers Week, because we encourage Jamaicans to volunteer in giving of their service and AS THEY SAY,‘when the work is done, let’s have some fun’,” Minister Grange SAID.

Labour Day was celebrated under the theme: ‘One People, One Purpose: In All Things, Jamaica Wins’.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com