The climax of the Appleton Temptation Island Hooked series, 'Fire Pon Di Beach', promised to be hot, to spew fire, to burn. But the sparks were late in igniting and the fire, when lit, died too quickly.
By Nathelie TaylorHeld at Margaritaville, Ocho Rios, St. Ann last Sunday night, the party attracted hundreds who expected to experience a scorching party that included a stage show with a few of dancehall's hottest acts ? Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Wayne Marshall and Leftside and Esco. Yet, these 'eager beavers' had to wait for hours before anything feeling hotter than ice coursed through the venue.
Selecting duties, divided between Bodyguard and Coppershot discos, were executed well enough. Bodyguard provided some early juggling with 'conscious' tunes and lovers' rock. Coppershot followed, continuing that musical trend as they dropped songs like Jah Cure's Longing For and One Man Can't Satisfy Her by I-Wayne. As each 'sound' tried to 'build a vibe', some early birds rocked slowly but nothing much by way of full-fledged dancing.
The vibes changed with the introduction of dancehall favourites such as King of the Dancehall, Solid As A Rock and Eadiat Ting Dat. These songs were magnetic, as many inched ever so closely to the scene of the promised heat-filled action on the beach. As the lyrics of Beenie Man, T.O.K, Assassin and other DJs rang loudly, but not too clearly, from the speakers, the dancing finally began. Also, as expected, a number of the females played right into the selectors' hands, obeying every command as they 'wined' and wiggled with each suggestive plea.
While dancehall music was the main dish being served, there were other tasty treats. Cool R&B jams like Usher's Burn and Confessions as well as Celine's The Saddest Word softened the harsh dancehall beat. Following on the heels of this was another unexpected musical twist to dance/disco music. Songs like What Is Love and I Will Survive blasted through the venue, and the women especially seemed to enjoy this brief change.
Showtime
A few minutes after 1 a.m., what everyone was patiently waiting for actually started. It was showtime. Vybz Kartel was the first to go on. And, the fire finally blazed. Shortly into his performance, he tried to be a good boy when he exclaimed to his fans, "Dem sey mi caan cuss nuh badwud. So, unno haffi go cuss a badwud fi mi." In unison, they all screamed a very Jamaican curse word. Vybz, naturally, let loose his catalogue of raunchy lyrics on a crowd that just couldn't get enough. Of course, one should never be surprised at Vybz's ability for explicit tunes and he clearly proved he was the master when he introduced a song that quite viciously examined the healthiness of the female genitalia, rhyming with amusing yet graphic details.
Elephant Man joined him on stage, bright in white and 'blinging' in 'ice'. He too had the crowd in his hands with a number of popular tunes such as Ova Di Wall, Jook Gal, Bad Mind and Stop Hitch. Wayne Marshall joined them briefly while Vybz's 'father' Bounty Killer, always the black knight, made a brief appearance, feeding patrons small portions of his 'bad man' hits and ever popular Fat P.. P... But, it was the 'Energy God' and the 'Breast Specialist' who fanned the flames to even greater intensity. The heavy drizzle that started at about 1:35 a.m. could not extinguish the raging heat that both DJs brought. The two also interacted with patrons well, at one point even accidentally falling into the crowd together. They came back on stage unharmed and grinning widely.
At about 1:50 a.m., patrons were left stunned, however. What had just turned into a raging inferno of a stage show had abruptly ended. With an invitation to join them for more at Strawberry Hill, the artistes suddenly stopped singing and exited the stage, selectors stopped playing the rhythms, and the stage lights were turned off. Patrons were not pleased, and some started shouting mockingly, "Unno really done a'ready?" Leftside and Esco, who were advertised to perform, did not. Neither did Brick and Lace.
As 2 a.m. crept closer, the place was engulfed in silence. Then, just as suddenly as the stage show had ended, the music started again. But, it just wasn't the same and the beach emptied rather quickly. 'Fire Pon Di Beach' was once again reduced to nothing but smouldering embers.
