The concert started at 10pm with Guyanese reggae artistes opening for Junior Gong. Not many persons in the audience were familiar with the local artistes but they were well appreciated. Opening the concert was the First Born Family who dubbed themselves the ‘first born’ of Guyanese reggae music and in their ten-minute performance, they belted out tunes such as ‘Babylon’ and ‘Love and Unity.’ As the group was giving thanks and praises to “the most high one” it began to drizzle but that did not deter the thirsty fans as they stood there and swayed to the tunes. The First Born family ended their act by thanking and praising Jah and the promoters who afforded them the opportunity to entertain the audience.
As the night progressed, the National Stadium filled up, many just waiting for Junior Gong to perform. They were subjected to the “hollering” of Mountain Lion for ten minutes, and from the expression on the faces in the audience, many clearly did not know about him. He sounded like he was singing karaoke.
Junior Gong came out at about midnight although organizers said that the Fest would run from 2 pm to midnight. He energized the crowd and had the ladies swaying. His performance of his father’s classic ‘Could you be Loved’ had the audience swaying and jumping.
Gong was on stage for over one hour performing his songs as well as some of his father’s. Many in the audience were Rastafarians and they clearly enjoyed the offerings. The audience was surprised when Junior Gong announced that he had a superb guest artiste. Everyone thought it was a dancehall superstar and when he announced that it was Wayne Marshall, the audience exulted.
Marshall came out in the middle of Gong’s performance and delivered his signature song ‘Messing with my heart.’ This saw many of the ladies singing the lyrics to their companions. Marshall encouraged the audience to keep their hearts safely before ending his performance.
Gong had the fans jumping again with his popular ‘Affairs of the Heart.’ Marley concluded with his signature ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ as the audience screamed along. The show proved to be a major success with Marley’s fans enjoying every second of his performance.
Earlier, the evening began with a talent segment in which local upcoming performers were given the chance to showcase their talents.
That was followed by a fashion show which lasted for just over an hour. However, not many persons were on hand to witness these segments which included Guyanese designers such as Sonia Noel and Kirk Stevenson showcasing their creations.
Noel gave the audience a glimpse of her line which will be showcased at the Caribbean Fashion Week and there were breathtaking pieces. Stevenson dazzled the audience with his unique hat designs for both males and females. Upcoming designer Wauneta Jones showed off her hand-painted casual line and Louis Anthony Jordan exhibited his artistic side with perfectly sculpted pieces.
