Michelle 'D'Angel' Downer poses with her award for Best Female Deejay backstage Stone Love's 36th anniversary celebrations held at the Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston on Saturday. - photo by Nathaniel Stewart
Packing a party, an anniversary celebration, awards show and live performances into the restrictive window of time between when dancehall fans turn out and when the sound has to be turned off is always a tall order.
Still, with on spot selections and the handing over of awards (which have caused the celebration to drag in the past) dealt with off-stage, Stone Love sound system's 36th anniversary celebration was going great up to about 3:30 yesterday morning.
Reflecting on past
Up to that time they had paid homage to their past at popular Stone Love bases such as Adams Lane, House of Leo and Tropics with a series of specials on the 'Real Rock', culminating with Buju Banton's Sound Fe Dead. They had also shown that they are very current with Konshens, Kartel and Mavado specials, as well as dispensed with the awards in short order, the announcements being made on stage and the actual awards handed out under a tent off-stage.
Among the winners were Vybz Kartel (Male DJ of the Year), Mavado (Male Singjay of the Year), D'Angel (Female DJ of the Year), Serani (Male Singer of the Year), Etana (Female Singer of the Year) and Konshens (Best New Male Artiste).
Then began a series of 'pass through' performances which, although an attempt was made to contain them in batches and the selectors rekindled the musical flames which flickered low after many segments, hobbled the event. It did not help that many of the deejays were relative unknowns and did not show signs of what it takes to change that status, Nesbeth the first to create a significant stir among the second set of performers.
Quality and response
John Holt, with Police in Helicopter and Stealing, upped the quality and response a further notch, but then D'Angel started out 'Blazing' and worked her way downhill to being dismissed with boos in the end. Flippa Mafia's liquor splashing and money tossing impressed the large gathering as much as his 'dem ya' deejaying, but although his introduction of Macka Diamond went over well, her introduction of Queen Paula in turn fell flat.
Paula's already low quality delivery plummeted even further when she made a sexual reference to Lady Saw and Spice and was soundly booed off the stage.
Matterhorn, Pamputae performance
Things improved significantly after that, with Matterhorn and Pamputae taking things the 'gal dem way', Lutan Fyah and Etana going to St Jago De La Vega and the Roots respectively and the One Blood Family.
Then Sample Six's best dance group acceptance speech weighed down the party again, before Mavado, Busy Signal and Bounty Killer sent things the glorious Alliance way, Lady Saw's giving a brief flash of the clad 'property' as she deejayed. Bragga Dat did Dagga Dat and Baby Tash showed the Magnum contest wasn't a TV fluke.
By now it was 5 a.m. and many exited with the Alliance's departure. Merciless, dressed as the Commander in Chief, and Erup came off as anti-climaxes, then it was the turn of the dancers. Many dancers.
The sound was cut abruptly at 5:15 a.m. and Stone Love's 36th anniversary was officially over.