Tuesday | January 2, 2001
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EAST FEST Simply the best



HEART AND SOUL: Beres Hammond - Ian Allen

FOR all intents and purposes the inaugural staging of East Fest can truly be dubbed a success.

The show will also be remembered as an event where all the acts gave creditable performances. However, as always the veterans of reggae music stood out.

There were outstanding performances from Beres Hammond, Toots Hibbert, Freddie McGregor, Bushman, Morgan's Heritage and Bounty Killer.

When Beres Hammond took the stage at 3:30 p.m., men and women in the VIP section scampered to the front of the stage to catch a glimpse of the man whose melodious voice has been known to make ladies cry.

He immediately started delivering ballads from his catalogue of hit songs. Flames from lighters flickered in the night sky as Beres Hammond sang. Men, women and children sang along with one of reggae's greatest performers.

When he was called back for an encore, his melodious voice had ladies clinging to their men and women without men screaming as he performed No Disturbance. Perhaps the most touching aspect of his performance was his tribute to Garnett Silk.

This he did by performing Mama Africa. His deejaying ability was also in evidence when he did Buju's part in the hit song Falling In Love All Over Again.

Freddie McGregor also had the ladies singing along with him. His mix of ballads along with social commentary made him also a hit with men and women alike. He also paid tribute Dennis Brown by performing Here I Come and Revolution. His performance was capped by his decision to fulfil a request from a male patron who requested the song I'll Wait For You.

The never ageing Toots Hibbert had previously stunned the crowd with his electrifying performance. He 'breaked danced', split, and pretended to play the guitar as he sang sending the audience in a frenzy.

His performance of the song I'll Never Grow Old is perhaps a testament of himself as his antics rivalled that of any young entertainer.

Morgan's Heritage also gave a commendable performance. The performance was highlighted by them paying tribute to their father Denroy Morgan. In fact, in paying tribute to him, Denroy was called on stage and together with his children performed I'll Do Anything For You, a song which ruled the airways in the early 1980's.

Bounty Killer's entry on stage with Morgan's Heritage was greeted by cheers from the crowd. Lighters flickered, fire crackers exploded, and people jumped as the Killer delivered songs from his repertoire of social commentaries. Bounty also promised the St. Thomas crowd that he would be back next year and commended Morgan's Heritage for the idea of putting on a festival of this nature.

Home boy Bushman's performance was also good. The delivery of his message was also filled with popular songs such as Remember The Days and The Cannabis. He was well received by the crowd which was probably partial due to him being from St. Thomas.

In the earlier section of the event, performances by Eastman Project, Christini and LMS, the younger members of the Morgans family were all well received by the audience. All three acts received encores from the audience who were apparently hungry for good performances.

The talents of St.Thomas were also exposed, with the likes of "Computer Brain" and "Coolat" thrilling the crowd with their talent.

The show which ended shortly after 5 am will no doubt have patrons looking forward to a better show next year.

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