Machel Monday showcases Caribbean creativity

The Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, saw droves of people from all over TT and the world energetically streaming in for Machel Monday, which started at approximately 8.30 pm and ended at nearly 4 am on Tuesday.

Montano, who said his intention was to take soca to the universe by uniting the Caribbean, effectively curated a league of artistes from TT, Barbados, St Vincent, St Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, and Cuba, to name a few. They combined their energies with talent from the Caribbean diaspora to give a high-energy show under the cloudy skies of Port of Spain, which made no difference to the audience as they enjoyed enchanting performances, flashing lights, fireworks and confetti.

Montano opens with Realease

On entry, the thought and creative effort put into setting up the venue were evident in the signage, large number of assistants and ushers, flooring, stage lighting, screen projections and access to food and washrooms. Long lines of police walked through the crowd, which could have either been comforting or cause for anxiety because of their heavy defence gear, which included fibreglass helmets, as if anticipating an act of terror.

But the rhetoric running through the show
promoted love and Caribbean unity, resulting in a seemingly entranced crowd dancing, waving and singing even as
episodes of rain persisted.

FAMALAY!

A glowing Patrice Roberts, no stranger to the Machel Monday stage, told Newsday backstage she enjoyed her performance and the energy she received in response from the audience. Dressed from head to toe in gold, she said, "It is always amazing to see the crowd respond. I think they really respond to my outfits. I think that is what they love me for, besides the great music – they come to see what I'm wearing."

Machel Monday, she said, "is always an experience, and it is the place to be when promoting anything. All the foreigners are here, and all the true masqueraders are out there, and it is just always amazing. Big up to Machel every time."

After a rave-inducing performance of Famalay with Montano and Skinny Fabulous, Bunji Garlin told Newsday the energy was high, despite the rain.

"We can't complain about the sprinkling of blessings. The crowd was enjoying themselves, which is the most important thing that on the Monday before the big Monday everyone is enjoying themselves."

Nadia Batson- So Long

He said for the hours during which the show took the audience on a journey, people are able to forget their problems and worries. "No thinking about the stresses, the rent, the bills – none of that. They can just enjoy the music, and that is what we try to have them do, to the best of our abilities."

Chutney Soca sensation Ravi B was another star in the constellation of acts. His performance included what seemed to be crowd favourites, such as Budget and his 2019 contribution Start Over. His performance, which included sharing the stage with GI, who performed Divorce, was complemented by traditional Indian dance. Ravi B said being on stage was yet another wonderful experience.

Nessa Preppy and Hood Celebrity joined Montano on stage

"Machel Monday is a big production. Working with Machel Montano throughout the year and for every single Machel Monday, it is a privilege. It was real vibes and the crowd was pumped."

Sekon Sta, who performed his collaborative work My Side with Patrice Roberts, along with his singles, including I Swear. He said the significance of the theme GOAT "the greatest of all time (for unity) is now" was displayed in the show's lineup.

"It was absolutely amazing being on stage. I went into the crowd at one point to experience it from where they were, and I tell you, every year, after attending this event from before it became Machel Monday, I am more impressed than the time before."

He said he was inspired, and the magnitude of the event was something to which he aspired.

Candice stole the show for a moment

"It is a standard set by the Monk (Montano) himself."

He said he was impressed by the move to have the whole Caribbean on one stage, and after greater unity was established among the artistes of the region, they could collaborate on a greater scale with international artistes.

"That is how we will continue to take soca to the universe – and we have to be brave about it."

Other performers included Nailah Blackman, who opened the show with what seemed like a bang, based on the response from the audience, as she sang Iron Love. Shal Marshall added to the excitement with Party We Love, Problem Child had the crowd jumping to his single Whole Heart, and Famer Nappy had them jumping too with his performance, which included his song Hookin Meh. Nadia Batson, who took turns singing with the audience, sharing her 2019 song So Long, was also well received.

TT's Queen of Bacchanal Destra and Jamaica's queen of Dancehall, Spice, who made her debut performance in TT for a Carnival season, teamed up for their collaboration for Carnival 2019, Trouble. Both also performed their own popular releases, Destra doing her Road March contender Stage Party, and Spice getting the crowd roaring during So Mi Like It.

Montano's performance with Jacob Desvarieux, from world-famous zouk band Kassav, added to the melting pot of Caribbean music. Cimafunk from Cuba made an energetic Afrobeat-infused presentation.

An evident favourite of the crowd was Calypso Rose, who came on stage with her collaboration with Montano, Young Boy. Rose, now 78, will be performing at the international music festival Coachella in April, and during their performance, Montano announced that Rose had invited him to share the stage with her there.

Other acts included 3Canal, Ding Dong, Teddyson John, V'ghn, Swappi, Hood Celebrity, Nessa Preppy, and Mandella Linkz.

The display of the region's creativity was not confined to music. There were moko jumbies from Moko Somokow in their Carnival 2019 costumes. During Montano's performance of The Road with international singer/songwriter Ashanti, dancers wearing costumes by K2K from its 2019 band Through Stained Glass Windows added colourful and majestic visuals, almost exactly a week before the band parades through the streets of Port of Spain.

Kathy and Karen Norman, founders of K2K Alliance, said they were honoured and excited to share their work in that setting and to see their work in motion on stage during a live performance.

Kathy said, "It is like a dream home true, to be honest. We have Natacha Jones wearing one of the frontline costumes and she is going to be in a lovely beaded gold gown. The section we are presenting this year is Lux, meaning light, representing 'out of darkness comes light.'"

Other performances which got the crowd moving included Montano's professional dancer daughter Melanie Montano, who has danced backup for Beyonce and Rihanna, Khadija Shari, and local dancer/ contortionist Candice.

Coexistence and collaboration were evident throughout the show, reflected by the wide variety of flags from islands of the Caribbean being waved.

It embodied what Montano himself said: "I want to show the whole world how much love there is through the album GOAT, which has soca music from all over the Caribbean. I believe it must go out there in the universe and shine down on all of existence."