Tarrus Riley in his element at the Trelawny celebrations, on Sunday.

Western Bureau:

International reggae sensation Tarrus Riley brought the Trelawny leg of celebrations for the track and field athletes to a royal close as thousands converged at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium to celebrate Jamaica's success at the World Championships of Athletics in Berlin, Germany.

It was the finale of a weekend of events, which included a dinner at Jamaica House last Friday night and a church service the following day at the Portmore Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

As the athletes watched the stage show in the Prime Minister's Suite at the stadium, the likes of Tarrus Riley and Konshens gave golden performances as they released a slew of hit songs to culminate the all-day activities at 9:45 p.m.

This year's activities were in stark contrast to the celebrations at the stadium following the athletes' Beijing success last year, as this time all the athletes had an opportunity to interact with people.

Among the billed acts that engaged the capacity audience with delightful entertainment were Etana, who, while her performance was very short, had maximum impact. From being Free to Not Afraid, Etana left the audience wanting more after her exit.

The Big Ship crew comprising of Chino and Laden showed Trelawny why From Mawnin' is how they prefer to party and why it was their Time To Shine. As their music continued to soar, so did their fan base, which sang along throughout the performances.

No fireworks

Last year, patrons were treated to fireworks at the end of the show and although this was not done this year, the Digicel Rising Stars finalists, past and present, were enough to ignite the crowd's appetite for entertainment. Christopher Martin started the fireworks but Princess Tia, Brown Sugar and Romain Virgo kept the musical fire lit for the rest of the evening and showed why they intend to achieve musical greatness throughout their careers. Jumo of Byron Lee's Dragonaires was electric as he mixed calypso and elements of dancehall during his stint.

Active crowd

Upcoming act G-Whiz told Trelawny that "Life Soon Sort Out" and such encouragement was highly appreciated by the crowd which helped him finish his song.

Despite being ill and receiving an injection for an ear infection on the night of his performance, I-Octane was in his element and did not stop short of giving his fans a resounding performance. With Mama You Alone, Stab Vampire and Different Page, I-Octane reaffirmed his claim to stardom.

Left: Chino was splendid throughout his performance. Right: Jumo of Byron Lee's Dragonaires band could not resist teasing the ladies. - photos by Noel Thompson