Shock then anger was the reaction of the majority upon the announcement that Shurwayne Winchester had dethroned Bunji Garlin to capture the 2006 International Soca Monarch title.
By Wayne BowmanEven before the pronouncement was ended the crowd began to boo and call for Bunji. Thankfully, unlike in previous years when the people did not agree with the judges decision at the Soca Monarch finals, there was no violence.
Winchester had beaten Bunji by just two points to claim the near one-million-dollar first prize. Winchester sang "Ah Cyah Wait" at Friday's final of the competition, which took place at the Hasley Crawford National Stadium. He earned 270 points, while Bunji was awarded 268 points for his performance of "Bomb Song". Placing third was Iwer George who scored 266 points for his rendition of "We Reach".
For Winchester the night was a very profitable one as he also won the Groovy Soca Monarch competition, which took place before the main event-the International Power Soca Monarch. In this competition, Winchester sang his very popular mid-tempo soca love song entitled "Don't Stop", ending the reign of last year's winner, Michelle Sylvester, who sang "Face Me" and placed fourth.
Delivering an exciting performance that featured members of the Laventille Rhythm Section as well as pannists from the Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra including, Dane Gulston, Winchester worked the massive crowd into a frenzy. At one point Winchester climbed onto the two-level platform where Gulston was playing alongside another pannist and commanded the crowd to move. Being more daring then ever before, Winchester also climbed on the barrier separating the audience from the stage to issue his commands.
Garlin opened his performance with video footage of the bombings that took place in Port of Spain and St James last year. There was also a mini skit featuring people being injured by a dustbin bombing and being attended to by his musicians who were dressed in white bomb squad gear. A stunt double began to slide from the top of the stadium's main stand on a lead anchored at the top of the stage. Garlin then appeared on stage wearing black riot squad gear and the entire crowd, which was said to have numbered more than 40,000, people went wild.
For the next several minutes Bunji had them all at his beck and call as he instructed them to move left then right, lift hands and spin their rags like helicopter blades. There were several ear-shattering explosive sound effects as well as bomb blasts triggered off by the Fire One fireworks crew, which added to the excitement. Flames also began to shoot up from the top of the stage. A man also began to fly a radio-controlled helicopter around the stage as Bunji chanted.
Garlin performed three sets of freestyle lyrics (extempo) during his presentation asking the people if they believed he should make the hattrick to which they shouted yes. Bunji then told the crowd that this was most likely the last time he will compete in the Soca Monarch competition to which they shouted "no" and he asked them if they wanted him to come back and the people shouted "yes". Bunji then dived into the crowd and was carried off to the left flank of the stage by members of the audience.
Iwer George, the man who placed third on Saturday, delivered what was possibly his best Soca Monarch performance ever when he performed "We Reach", with which he earned 266 points. With moko jumbies and dancers dressed in the national colours as well as football gear, the former winner delivered his tribute to the Soca Warriors. Showing up to lend support to Iwer on stage were several members of the Soca Warriors including Ottis Whittley, Sid Gray, Anthony Wolfe and Stephen Charles.
One of the night's most disappointing performances came from Mista Vybe who from the semi-final round of the competition had been hailed as the artiste most likely to dethrone Bunji. In spite of having the Hands of Rhythm Percussion Ensemble on stage with him and several dancers, Vybe just did not get the crowd moving as one would have wanted for a Soca Monarch final.
He also failed to perform the song as energetically as he's been doing at the fetes. Vybe had provided backing vocals for other competitors including Nadia Batson, Miss Alisha and Michelle Sylvester during the night and this may have tired him out a bit. For his efforts Vybe received 248 points and placed sixth. First-timer, Nadia Batson who performed "One Island" gave a good account of herself despite being a rookie and placed fourth with 257 points, while fellow rookie, Rita Jones who sang "Carnival Feeling", which was composed by Batson placed fifth with 254 points.
In the Groovy Soca Monarch final, Winchester sealed his victory in that category with a flawless performance that featured the Shiv Shakti Dancers for which he was awarded 261 points. Delivering their best live performance of "Have You Ever Been In Love", were Zan and Patrice Roberts who placed second with a score of 253 points.
Last year's winner, Michelle Sylvester, solicited the assistance of Singing Sandra who sang a chorus of "Face Me" during Sylvester's presentation, but this only helped her to earn fourth place with 233 points. Vocal group Surge, which performed the runaway hit "In Your Timin", had a bad night starting with the five-member group only being given three microphones, one of them with a cord, which hampered the quintet's choreography. The sound engineers also provided a bad mix, allowing only one lead microphone when there are three lead vocalists. They placed fifth.
With thousands of patrons flooding the National Stadium, security was not as tight as one would have expected in such a mammoth event. There were very few uniformed police and for the most part the crowd in General Admission was left up to its own devices and this created several problems. People were climbing into the backstage area over the barriers separating General Admission from Backstage. People also easily found their way into the VIP area.
Although there were no incidents during the competition itself, several fights broke out during the performances by the guest artistes, which included Machel Montano, KMC, Elephant Man and Beenie Man who several times during his performance shouted that, "Bunji Garlin is the Soca Monarch". Beenie Man told the audience that the judges had disrespected Bunji who as far as he is concerned is the king of soca. "Beenie vex. They disrespect the king of soca, Bunji Garlin." Beenie also asked the people who was the Soca Monarch and the crowd shouted, Bunji.
All attempts to contact either Winchester or Bunji were unsuccessful.
