Kandré McDonald, Freelance Writer
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires get the crowd pumped up at the Portland Blow-Out, held at Folly Grounds, Portland, on Sunday. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
FOLLY GROUND, Portland, was not as intimate a venue as was Colonel Cove in St. Thomas where last week's leg of the Jamaica Carnival was held. However, last Sunday evening with a slightly chilly wind blowing in from the sea, hundreds of patrons turned out at Folly Ground with more than enough energy to keep the atmosphere warm until the stroke of midnight when Byron Lee and the Dragonaires left the stage.
The energetic Dragonaires unleashed lots of energy during four long sets onstage and the crowd loved it. There was lots of gyrating both on and off the stage as the patrons and the performers went about enjoying themselves.
SONGS FROM VARIOUS GENRES
With Jomo, Oscar B, Ashley and another member of the band armed with microphone in hand, the Dragonaires went about delivering songs from various genres of music. However, it was selections from the soca and dancehall categories that really set the crowd on fire. Songs like Te Le Le, The People Want Water and Alison Hind's Roll it Gal ripped apart the soca segment, while songs such as Baby Cham's Ghetto Story, and Beenie Man and D'Angel's One Man Yu Got ruled the dancehall arena.
When emcee 'The Vibe Master' Jerry D took the stage for the first time at minutes after 8:00 p.m., he raised the energy level a notch. The 'Vibe Master' had some antics up his sleeves which the crowd always seem to enjoy. Jerry D called on a voluptuous woman to 'dutty wine' and had a man from Fort Lauderdale waltz with her, much to the delight of the massive crowd, which comprised lots of children.
Jerry D found lots of other creative ways throughout the night to keep the crowd from getting restless. His dance with the runner-up in THE STAR's 'Tiny Winey' contest was a definite crowd pleaser. Though he at first tried unsuccessfully to persuade the winner to dance with him and Jomo.
The performances from Christopher Martin, Noddy Virtue and Admiral Bailey pleased the crowd, even though each only spent a few minutes onstage.
If there was such a thing as over advertising Digicel would have been the clear winner in that category. They had representatives giving patrons wave rags upon entry, the Digicel music machine was present with lights flashing and music pumping whenever their selectors were given a chance to entertain the crowd. They also gave away thousands of dollars worth of credit and were mentioned over and over again by the performers, but one could not get tired of them because their crew carried lots of vibes which the crowd enjoyed all night long.
