By Claude Mills, Staff ReporterTHOUSANDS OF persons jammed to good music and a spectacular fireworks display during the 'Fireworks on the Waterfront' event at Ocean Boulevard in Kingston on New Year's Eve to ring in 2004.
The crowd mingled easily with the small armada of chicken vendors and handcart-men hawking their wares who all came out to participate in the last 'free' event of 2003.
Children, still excited after their rides in the simulators, merry-go-round and the cup and saucer rides, ran helter-skelter through the crowd, some losing their parents in the process. International recording artiste Beenie Man took some of the egg off the face of the entertainment industry after the Boxing Day clash at Sting 2003 with a marquis performance.
He hit the stage singing 'Damn', and the audience erupted into jubilant hand-waving and lusty cheering. In closing his performance, he wished Jamaica 'long life and prosperity' and remarked that 'wherever you come from middle, upper or poorer class, we are just one class, a Jamaican class' before singing Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song'.
At this point, couples held each other and rocked to the beat, drawing comfort from each other after a sometimes-rocky, often-scary 2003.
4,3,2,1
Later, MC Jerry D with the assistance of Ruff Kut went into the countdown to the New Year. As a yacht glided out on the inky black waters of the Kingston Harbour, anticipation crackled in the air, and at the urging of Jerry, the waterfront shook as thousands of voices chimed in to count down the end of 2003 in unison - 5,4,3,2...1, followed by loud shouts.
But the real show was about to begin.
The 15-minute fireworks display blazed golden across the night sky eliciting 'oohs' and aahs'. The fireworks snapped, crackled, popped, twirled, pirouetted, and exploded much to the delight of the crowd which seemed particularly fascinated by the rockets that were occasioned by a whistling-screeching sound as they wiggled like tadpoles across the sky. Some members of the crowd punctuated each loud explosion with a loud 'Jah Rastafari' and poly-syllabic expletives. Soon, the sky was full of smoke, and the rank smell of sulphur was almost overpowering.
Earlier, Luciano had washed the waterfront with a slew of reggae hits that seemed to soothe the human soul and create an open-air 'reggae church'. He sang hits such as 'Over the Valley', 'Sweep Over My Soul' and 'It's Me Again Jah'.
Other artistes who performed include Amelique, Admiral Bailey, Tanto Metro and Devonte and McMillan the Magician.
