By Zoisa Fraser
Despite his open attack on gays, glorification of guns, chants of “bullet, bullet” and obscene language, the thousands that flocked the National Park for the Ignition Concert, jumped and gyrated to every word that came out of Bounty Killer’s mouth, few though they were.
The controversial Jamaican singer appeared to have put the icing on the cake for those who had gone to the show expecting the kind of offensive, gangster performance his name is now synonymous with.
His fellow Jamaicans, QQ and Wayne Wonder were able to put on a better show without following in his footsteps.
As with all entertainment shows here in Guyana, several local singers were on stage for over two hours, attempting to entertain but instead creating an atmosphere filled with disinterest. The performances failed miserably to hype the crowd of people who could be seen walking around with bored expression on their faces or socialising with their friends during the local items.Brutal Jammers, known for getting crowds into a party mood, for some reason did not reach its full potential on Saturday night. Neither did Typheon, rapper Gialiani, Jory and the others.
It was the 13-year-old talented sensation QQ and the forever-popular Wayne Wonder that had the crowd going. Although the teen’s performance was short, it was very energetic and had a tremendous impact on the crowd with many begging for a repeat.
QQ used his commanding voice and dance moves to send the crowd into a frenzy. Dressed in all over black and wearing sunglasses, he danced all over the stage. Those in the crowd, both young and old, screamed and sang along throughout his performance which lasted for about 20 minutes. He then danced off the stage a bit too quickly but with the help of a local DJ, at the insistence of the hungry crowd, QQ was back on stage in a manner of minutes once again gyrating his tiny frame.
Then it was time for the ever-popular Wayne Wonder who serenaded the women with his sweet, soft melodious voice. As some would say, he had the crowd `locked’ as he sang some of his hits such as “You Got to Live and Learn”, “Saddest Day of my Life”, “Excess Amount of Loving” and “Bashment Girl”.
Around 1.30 am, it was time for the main performance of the night – the ‘Five Star General’ Bounty Killer and it was evident that the crowd was anxious to see him. He pranced on stage shouting for the death of gays interspersed with “bullet, bullet” and was greeted with screams from the crowd, many of whom threw their hands up in the air in support.
Less than ten minutes into his nerve-racking and rather inappropriate performance, the Fusion audio sound system suffered a breakdown. Keeping his cool, the Five Star General sat on a stool centre stage waiting for the power to be restored. Once this was done, he began his performance once more, still attacking members of the gay community and celebrating gun violence.
After two more power failures cut short his performance, the annoyed crowd began throwing bottles at the stage.
This was nearing 2 am and Bounty Killer had not even given his thirsty fans five songs.
Power was restored but about five minutes into his act, he was asked to leave the stage as it was time for the show to end, added to which, gunshots rang out.
Many upset patrons left the Park post-haste. Several could be heard saying, “Guyanese know how to spoil a show”.
Wildfire Productions had promised tight security, but there were several holes in it, such as select and incomplete scanning of some of the persons who entered. Women were not patted down as would be customary at shows such as these.
The most alarming sight of the night though was seeing children some who looked homeless walking around in the adult crowd. There were several more seated at the edge of the stage and they were all eating up Bounty Killer’s onstage act. A girl looking not more than ten years old was sitting on the fence put up around the VIP area. Several of the children who were there, when asked, said that relatives had taken them there. (zoisa_f@yahoo.com)
