Vybz Kartel
ANGRY AND somewhat bitter at not getting their money's worth, scores of patrons who attended Sting last Friday said the spectacle of Ninja Man and Vybz Cartel tussling on stage was in poor taste.
Several members of the audience complained that they wasted their money, because they saw their favourite stars fight instead of performing. Others were incensed at the general lack of morality displayed by individuals in the crowd.
"Since I arrived in the country, all I hear is mad, sick head, no good. That means Jamaica is celebrating lunacy now? This is craziness what happened. I feel no sympathy for Ninja Man, he helped bring the dancehall business to this level but how can people think to throw bottles after a blind veteran singer like Frankie Paul, that cannot be accepted in even the most backward society," Robert Cavel, a Jamaican-born visitor to the island, said.
While these discussions were concentrated on the inside, emotions ran high and spilled into the neighbouring communities. Several groups huddled together and argued loudly on the streets of nearby Portsmouth and Waterford about not getting their money's worth for the show.
"A real (expletive deleted) waste a time that fi man money!" fumed one patron. "Man only waste dem big big $1,500 fi come see artiste fight. Dem shoulda settle dat from outa road and come gi we di money worth."
"If we want war we can see dat outa road, we no haffi come ya so fi see it, we pay we money we want fi see show!" screamed one lady.
"If I knew they were waiting to come here to fight, I would never have come here to see the garbage! I thought they would have a decent clash, but instead it was pure (expletive deleted). My good good money was wasted!" screamed another.
One patron from Kingston vowed that he would never attend another Sting show and expressed his disappointment at the series of events which marred the earlier flow of the show.
"Bwoy mi ah tell you seh Vybz Cartel ah get too hype. Ninja Man 'chuck' him and him rock Ninja Man then the crowd start get wild and a pure things. Mi not going back to another Sting, is a fool-fool show, a pure idiot things gwaan," he said.
According to the police estimates, at least 35,000 patrons were at this year's concert.
Sting is an annual stage show which is plagued by controversy from verbal to physical clashes and Ninja Man's handing over a gun to Senior Superintendent of Police, Reneto Adams, at last year's show.
