Sending a strong message to the Guyanese populace about the need for more people to speak up against domestic violence, the ‘November to Remember’ concert saw an all female line up on Saturday dubbed ‘Divas in Concert’.
Taking the stage inside the National Stadium were Jamaican reggae/dancehall superstars Lady Saw, Tanya Stephens, Spice and Pamputae along with Trinidadians Destra Garcia and Denise Belfon.
Queen of dancehall Marion Hall, popularly known as Lady Saw, was the most anticipated act and was the last artiste to take the stage. Fans had obvious astonishment plastered on their faces when Lady Saw hit the stage in what appeared to by gym attire; a black loose-fitting top with sweatpants. However, the reserve among the audience vanished almost instantly as the 44-year-old dancehall star’s voice swept through the venue, picking up fans along the way as they swayed and sang along to the lyrics.
Women in the audience screamed wildly ‘I love you’ as the artiste made her way to the front of the stage although it was clear that Lady Saw was more interested in entertaining her male fans, often dedicating songs to them.
Among the tunes the artiste performed were ‘I’ve got your man’, ‘Man is the least’, ‘Good wuk’, ‘No long talking’ and ‘Sycamore tree’.
Offering patrons similar vibes was Tanya Stephens who was said to have performed ‘Conscious music’. Big hits she entertained the audience with were ‘These Streets’, ‘What a day’, ‘Big ninja bike’, ‘Party tonight’ and ‘Wuk and Bruk’. Like Lady Saw, Stephens’ songs were well received and enjoyed by both female and male patrons who moved to the beat.
Earlier on, fans were treated to more of a soca and dancehall flare with music by Destra who also sang a few songs made famous by Jamaican Reggae legend and her idol, Bob Marley.
The soca queen later belted out tunes like ‘Carnival’, ‘Anyhow ah Like it’, ‘Max it up’, ‘I dare you’ and ‘Feel like wukkin’. She also called up one ecstatic fan to ‘Bruk it down’ on stage.
She was subsequently joined by Denise ‘Saucy Wow’ Belfon, who then entertained with popular hit ‘Ka Ka Lay Lay’, ‘Hard Wuk’ and ‘De Jammette’. After she took her leave, Garcia continued a performance that ended about 15 minutes later.
Dancehall singer Grace ‘Spice’ Hamilton, who rose to fame with her collaboration on the Vybz Kartel single “Ramping Shop” opted to perform this hit while lashing out at the deejay who is currently serving jail time, stating “Me glad Kartel not me baby daddy ‘cause him a bathe mi baby with de cake soap!” She also sang ‘Jim Screechie’ and other raw lyrics to the amusement of many patrons.
She was joined by raunchy female dancehall artiste Pamputae, who together performed ‘Slim vs. Fluffy’, a collaboration between the two. Fans were again called to the stage to show off their dance moves. Pamputae also sang her famous song ‘Me Put the Good Inna G’ among others.
Scheduled to perform at the ‘November to Remember’ concert also was Vanessa ‘Gaza Slim’ Saddler who failed to do so. Stabroek News understands that the Jamaican artiste had a problem of some sort with her passport.
Meanwhile, Guyanese songstress Timeka Marshall yesterday took to her Facebook page to apologize to her fans for being absent at the event which was promoted with her name as an act.
Marshall explained that being an artiste, she is never in direct contact with promoters so she is still unclear about what was discussed. She stated that she was eager to perform at the show but later learnt that there was some difficulty in financing her travel expense from Jamaica, where she is now based. She stated that due to this, she decided to cover her own airfare and also reduced her performance fee but no arrangement was finalized.
“In short, I was being advertised for a show I was never confirmed for and unfortunately this happens ever so often which looks bad on the artiste and ruins reputation,” Marshall wrote on the social network.
The show was promoted by Conscious Minds and was sponsored by West Indies Spring Water and Banks Premium beer.
