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Rhythm and Blues maestro Lionel Richie billed as the major attraction on this year's Sumfest showed exactly why he considered to be an international superstar.

It was clear that the crowd wanted Richie, and from the moment he is stepped onstage till the moment he left, he had about 20, 000 fans singing, dancing, screaming and jumping along with each song.

Richie only had to sing the first three words of his opening number Hello before fans began singing along, screaming and waving. By the time he ventured into Penny Lover, Easy, and Dancing On The Ceiling, Catherine Hall was one large dance floor, as thousands began partying at Richie's behest.

Poor Mr Richie clearly wasn't aware that for the same 15 years he's been trying to perform in Jamaica, there have been loyal fans waiting for the same occasion. The look of absolute amazement and brief confusion that occasionally flitted across his face, especially as he sang the first two bars of Truly betrayed that he had no idea Jamaicans not only knew the lyrics of the songs but knew each song from the very first note.

"I take it you might not need me tonight," he quipped, after the Sumfest audience took over the singing of You Are, Sail On and Stuck On You.

Still, even attempts in jest to leave the stage before his 75-minute set was complete were instantly thwarted, and Richie had to pull for hits like Brick House, Still and the reggae-inspired Selah Selah, (which he admitted he hadn't performed in over a decade) before Catherine Hall would even consider letting him leave the stage.

The pace set by Lionel Richie was certainly going to be hard for even Beres Hammond to follow, but still Jamaica's favourite lover's rock crooner stepped up to the plate and delivered admirably. Almost effortlessly, the man in green captured the crowd, carrying the festival to another level with his raspy whispers and soulful groans. Within the first few moments of What Can You Do To Stop A Man From Trying, the the audience erupted into loud cheers of approval and it was evident that Hammond was not content to play second fiddle to Richie or anyone else on the Sumfest International night line-up. For his devoted fans, Hammond delivered his signature hits like Double Trouble, Putting Up Resistance, and Come Back Home, leaving the stage after about 40 minutes of continuous singing.

But that wasn't enough for the Sumfest crowd, who kept screaming and shouting for more, prompting the singer to return for a 10-minute encore, during which time he was presented with an award from his record label, VP Records, for his 30 years of service to reggae music.

Buju Banton's performance was a fitting end to the week-long festival. Shedding his usual spiritual incantations, Buju delved straight into his classic dancehall hits, changing the atmosphere at the Sumfest venue from an easy-paced lover's rock to a high-energy .

After delivering four or five songs from the era that defined his dancehall kingpin status, Buju segued into his more religious songs, soothing the venue with hits like Destiny, Jah Free The People, Not An Easy Road, Till I'm Laid To Rest. Buju, as usual, was immaculately dressed and when he left the stage after almost an hour the still large audience at Catherine Hall was still begging for more. It was the ideal closing for an amazing week.

Saturday night's line-up, significantly shorter than those of the previous two nights, featured performances by a handful of newcomers like Kris Kelly, To-Isis, Tarrus Riley and Abdel Wright, all of whom performed creditably and were shown appreciation by the ever-growing crowd. Wayne Wonder, in his first Sumfest for a few years was determined to dazzle - and he did - closing his set with thousands singing along to the hit single that brought him into international prominence, No Letting Go.

Not enough can be truly said about the near-perfect execution of the festival production-wise. In fact, by all indications, Summerfest Productions has this endeavour on 'lock-down' in every possible way.

On Thursday night, after heavy rains left a hazardously soggy Catherine Hall with inches of mud in some areas, the promoters realised that something had to be done, and by Friday night there was a fresh path of gravel where the night before there was a shallow river of mud. By Saturday night, there were no muddy moments, just music and the love and adoration of fans for their icons.

For the three major nights there was no fighting, top-class performances and an air of satisfaction all-round, just the way a Jamaican reggae festival should be.