Chronixx sound issue attributed to ‘generator glitch’

Lost in Time, which closed Reggae Month at Hope Botanical Gardens on Sunday night, is still basking in rave reviews after high-profile cameos from Koffee, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley and Stephen Marley, as well as Chronixx and conceptualiser Protoje.

Describing Lost in Time as an “interactive” reggae festival, Protoje revealed that the two-day musical extravaganza was born out of his overseas album launches and experiences at international events.

Ironically, one of the most interactive moments of Lost in Time occurred Sunday night during Chronixx’s set when a generator glitch interrupted his long-awaited return to the Jamaican stage after a seven-year hiatus.

“A generator glitch, the only issue of the show, turned out to be one of the most iconic 15 minutes ever witnessed at a live event in Jamaica,” said Solomon Sharpe, chief executive officer at Main Event.

“A totally unforeseeable generator glitch was met with the audience singing, word for word, Chronixx’s hit songs, awaiting the matter to be resolved. Chronixx himself was so appreciative that he quipped of having a ‘Chronixx choir’ for an audience,” said Sharpe.

‘COACHELLA FEEL’

Production manager Martin Lewis, who has overseen Montego Bay’s Sumfest for 30 years and has had his signature on most of Jamaica’s major shows, said Lost in Time’s open-floor concept, executed by Main Event Entertainment Group, aligned with Protoje’s vision to host an event with a “Coachella feel”.

Coachella is an annual music and arts festival staged at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, which is located in the Coachella Valley within the Colorado Desert.

Though St Andrew’s Hope Botanical Gardens is quite the opposite of a California desert, Lost in Time’s ‘walkabout’ set-up, varying artisan tents and restaurants lining the dual-stage event, has been dubbed ‘Prochella’, a social-media moniker combining Protoje and Coachella.

“Facing the LIT Stage, we had the VIP-type sky decks to the left and the Comfort Experience to the right, from which patrons also viewed the Foundation Stage,” Lewis explained.

Protoje, who had a near 30-minute sound check on Friday night, on the eve of the two-day festival, left the main LIT stage satisfied, giving Main Event’s sound engineers and audio systems the all-clear ahead of the event, which also saw Tanya Stephens, Chronixx, Lila Iké and Jesse Royal hit the stage.

“What is most important at a show is the sound quality,” said the Rasta Love singer. “People not only want to see but also hear the best,” he added.

Main Event’s project manager, Rayon Stephenson, told The Gleaner that the Martin Audio loudspeakers positioned at the front of the LIT stage are the peak of audio systems.

“Nothing in Jamaica can compare or rival,” Stephenson said, speaking as well about the Digico consoles, Quantum 338 mixing board, SD 12 and SD 21.

“These are top-notch consoles, which top international artistes request as conditions to appear on shows,” he shared.

In a unique twin-stage set-up, Lost in Time featured the LIT Stage as well as a Foundation Stage, operating separately but in tandem, on both nights.

“It’s all about free movement from one place to another, shared spaces, games arcade, restaurants, go buy some stuff and walkabout,” said Protoje, pointing out that the Hope Botanical Gardens “is a big place”, hinting that the next staging of Lost in Time could occupy even more of the lush venue.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com