INADEQUATE PROMOTION were the words on the lips of the handful of patrons that turned up for 'Vintage All-Stars' at the Mas Camp Village on Saturday night.
Fuming patrons strolled out of gates at minutes after 2 a.m., less than two hours after the show began. Their disappointment came from the abrupt end to their showtime, which up to that time saw only Ken Boothe, John Holt, Jimmy Riley, and the Elite Soldiers performing, despite a line-up which boasted several other acts.
The early signs to this were fairly clear. Patrons just did not turn out for the show. The usually jammed car park and the sidewalks along Oxford Road, which are common sights when shows are held at Mas Camp, were noticeably empty.
At minutes to midnight, there was still only a handful of patrons inside. The promoters were playing a wait and see game, but so were the patrons who remained outside. With midnight approaching, however, they let the show begin, much to the delight of the few indside.
The Elite Soldiers, a male singing and deejay duo, was the first act. They performed only two tunes before clearing the stage for Ken Boothe. Ken did not seem to mind the small numbers, as he twirled, tap danced, and twisted onstage just as he has done on major shows. The small crowd, made up mostly of women, were very appreciative of these antics. They screamed passionately and lifted their hands in the air as if beckoning to Boothe.
ENCORE
Dressed from head to toe in silver colours, Boothe was shining as he paced himself through tunes like I'm Falling In Love With You and When I Fall In Love among others. When he left, he was promptly called back onstage for the encore. He gave them one.
Jimmy Riley followed, and in his usual, slowmoving 'rude boy' style, rode the wave of appreciation that Ken Boothe just created. "The gathering small but a family same way," he said before rolling out his seemingly timeless hits.
Next was John Holt, who reeled out his set of hits to the same apprecitaive patrons that welcomed the two artistes before him. After he gave complete renditions of tunes like Ali Baba, Tribal War and Left With A Broken Heart among others he left, returned for a two-minute encore and then left again.
This was at roughly 1:20 a.m., and it was then announced that the show would take a half hour break. This break stretched however until after 2 a.m., and with their frustration growing, patrons filed out until the venue was completely empty.
This was an obvious sign that the show would not continue, so The Gleaner team left as well.
