Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

The cutting of the birthday cake seemed the icing on a massive Summer Sizzle concert for deejay Beenie Man at the Jamalco Sports Club, Halse Hall, Clarendon, yesterday morning.

Coming to the end of his closing performance, Beenie Man instructed all gathered to cut the celebratory cake on stage, including his wife of five days, D'Angel, and an older daughter, how to proceed.

"We a hol' one knife. We are a family now. We are not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. We are husband and wife ... De whole a we a do it one time," he said. And with a one, three count (no two) it was done. All that was left was for Beenie Man to send everyone home with the second verse of 'Redemption Song', the hordes streaming out close to 7:30 a.m.

The closing run of deejays, beginning with a very fiery Capleton just past 5:00 a.m. who stormed on stage with Blood Out De Chi Chi and kept things in that vein for his brief, thunderously-received performance, were largely in a no-nonsense, adult mood. As Captain Barkey and Wickerman said, "we naa cool dung de fire! Capleton start it!"

The softer side of reggae

However, throughout the night, beginning with Stevie Face's I'm In Love and going up to Morgan Heritage, who closed their set demanding Tell Me How Come, the softer side of reggae was interspersed with the pointed lyrics of the deejays. Nesbeth's Tears Falling went out for the fallen friends to take 'Summer Sizzle' past midnight and Kirk Davis went back in his past for I Don't Wanna Lose Her Love, while Jovi Rockwell, who said it was her first time "singing for a crowd like this," was strong on abbreviated costume and weak on song up to All About Love, her introduction of Courtney 'Yogie' John igniting the audience.

Nadine Sutherland opened with the slow I'm In Love, Babyface bringing out the cheers. She became a bundle of green fatigue-clad energy as she sang man haffi wicked fe please me, the dancehall continuing and Ms. Sutherland's arms and hips swinging to I'll Do Anything For You and Action, a spot of the 'dutty wine' sending her hair swirling.

Anthony Cruz made the venue Half-Way Tree to the music of Rhythm 2000 band, which played for numerous performers, then filled in for Buju Banton on their combination Place Too Bloody, the audience agreeing Mama You're Special. Cocoa Tea's opening Rastaman Chant was greeted with a forest of flags and a chorale of thousands of voices, Rykers Island, Love Me Truly and Good Life ripping the house before he sat on a monitor and settled into a run of love songs done reggae style, crooning Down By The Boardwalk among other songs then singing his goodbyes.

Tearing the house apart

QQ walked on stage, put a black-clad leg on a monitor and held position to howls from the audience, Never Know The Use of Her tearing the house apart. He waggled legs and hips off-stage to Stookie and was asked to do it again, which he did to the extreme delight of the audience.

And after a detour into the hardcore of Vybz Kartel, who had to Sen On so he could go to Bounty Killer's Saddle To The East, Akon opened with his remix of Ghetto Story, Soul Survivor and Locked Up rocking the huge audience. The shirt and jewellery came off before Akon went into the front of the audience to sing "how can we work this out," being mauled by screaming women and losing his cellphone and passport in the process. Both were returned.

Brushy One String plucked on at his guitar and sang of the youths corn, hat back on his head, as the audience hung on to his single string and cheered. And Mya and Beenie Man combined for their sugary remix before the emphatic rockers of Morgan Heritage, Beenie Man delivering the line "how come dem want man fi go a jail after Sizzla cuss bad wud" to adjust How Come.