Sumfest is BIG. I mean, really big – Jamaica’s equivalent of Glastonbury. It has dominated TV and radio for weeks now, with speculation over the line up and interviews with the artists. Meanwhile, flights from the US and Europe become overbooked; hotel rooms are as scarce as hens teeth; and the cost of living in Montego Bay rockets sky high. The artists who have been involved reads like a who’s who in Reggae, dancehall and R&B – Beenie Man, Vybes Kartel, Elephant Man, Buju Banton, Bob Andy, and Morgan Heritage have all performed there, as have international artists such as 50 Cent, Destiny’s Child, UB40, and Kayne West. Some 55,000 tickets are sold every year.
So, perhaps not normally my sort of music – but the opportunity was there and seemed too good to miss. Around twenty of us had booked tickets for International Night 2, one of the biggest nights of the weeklong festival.
We arrived at ten. The music had already started, but the venue was half empty, and the crowd rather lifeless. Jamaicans live and breathe music – it is one of the most important parts of their culture, and it takes a lot to impress them. As the night wore on, the acts were increasingly famous; the crowd loved Christopher Martin, winner of a Jamaican Talent Show contest, who had an amazing voice and some rather wholesome lyrics promoting peace and harmony. Then there was Gramps Morgan, an older Rasta and member of an old Reggae Band; he was followed by Jamaica’s biggest export, Shaggy. The atmosphere changed as if someone had turned a switch. The lifeless crowd rose to their feet as one and started cheering; Shaggy worked them up into a frenzy, performing all of his hits (Mr Boombastic; Angel; It Wasn’t Me) interspersed with some remarkably intelligent wit (and an unexpected and surprisingly good impression of Bill Clinton).
The big guns were out now. After a lengthy stage change, the music rose up, quivering on the night air; the lights turned down low; and dancers gathered on stage. The air was breathless with anticipation.
And on came Usher. It was electric; the crowd were wild with adoration, as he stomped through his major hits for an hour and a half. It was an incredible performance – his dancing was the best I’d ever seen, backed up by brilliant dancers and an amazing band. And he knew how to work his fans – he was very dramatic and flashed his chest muscles with impeccable timing, turning the women into gibbering, foaming wrecks.
Then came the big surprises: on came Beenie Man, one of Jamaica’s biggest stars, to do a duet; he was followed by Elephant Man. Usher, the young international star, and Elephant Man, an old Jamaican Heavy Weight, having a dance off. But then came the MAJOR star – after a short speech from Elephant Man, the two artists turned to the side to welcome a man in white, who suddenly ran on; I swear I immediately went deaf. The scream that went up from the crowd at that moment was surely heard in Cuba.
“Who is it?” I asked my friend Brit urgently, who was hyperventilating.
“Oh my God!! It’s Chris Brown!” she shouted.
Usher, Chris Brown, and Elephant Man. On stage together. If I was a Jamaican, I’d have thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Despite the incident with Rihanna, Chris Brown remains highly popular on the island.
By the time Usher finished with his mega hit ‘Oh My God’ – expertly staged and truly mesmerising –it was half past three. We ached from standing for so long and were all covered in mud. We really wanted to see Beenie Man, who was one of two acts left. But the stage transition took so long that we gave up, and tramped through the mud to find a taxi at around four.
It had been an incredible night. The performances had been extraordinary; the atmosphere intoxicating. I think I’m a new convert to R&B.
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