As far as attendance, things went to script for promoters of Best Of The Best. However, an abrupt end was not part of their plans.At approximately midnight, Monday morning, the police called a halt to the show at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, leaving thousands of hard-core dancehall fans angry and disappointed.
Among them was Keisha, who was attending for the second time. She had been frustrated long before the cops stepped in.
“It was boring, they weren’t moving the crowd, and they wasted a lot of time. We didn’t even get to see Mavado,” she said.
A collective groan came from fans when co-promoter DJ Jabba announced, “People, the police sey wi mus’ lock off the sound. Is not our fault.”
Mavado, did not perform
He blamed drawn-out performances by acts like Dexta Daps for the show running past its 11:00 cutoff.
There was a some solid performances, from Christopher Martin, who delivered a set in contrast to the wheel-and-come-again antics of most artists.
He did the crowd favorites including If You Can’t Love Me Now, Cheaters’ Prayer and Big Deal, which he dedicated to long jumper Germaine Mason, who died recently in an auto accident.Spice was at her raunchiest. She showed dancehall is theatre and she is its biggest X-rated star.
Her renditions of Who A Di Boss and So Mi Like It set things up for Sheet, a bedroom adventure in which she invites a male fan to join her onstage a la Lady Saw. It was followed by the equally risque Ramping Shop — definitely a highlight of the evening.
There were other good performances from Jahmiel, Konshens, I-Octane, and Aidonia, but many fans left disappointed they did not see Mavado, who DJ Jabba said was prevented from coming on stage by artistes who overstayed their time.
Barrington Levy, did not perform
Veteran Barrington Levy, another of the acts billed, also did not perform.
—By Howard Campbell
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