Erphaan Alves prepares for E Day: 4 concerts in 24 hours

When Erphaan Alves' live performance shows hit the road he will be making several destination stops across the two islands. Beginning February 20, for 24 hours, the So Sweet hitmaker will begin a series of live concerts across Trinidad and Tobago for his E Day event.

Alves' E Day concept lies in the fact that all his performances will happen within the same 24-hour period, each featuring a different set of artistes with a different theme and location.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday Alves said while a lot of organisation and preparation were needed to successfully pull off these concerts on both islands, he is not discouraged and looks forward to being able to perform live for his fans.

"I'm ready for it. We're accustomed to jamming live for periods like this during the pre-pandemic period, so we aren't daunted.

"We're doing our best to keep the Carnival spirit alive and doing our best to bring joy and excitement to the public."

On Sunday, Alves will kick off the events with the Midnight Mas concert at Bar-Hop-In, Shirvan Road, Tobago, from midnight, before going to Woodford Cafe, Chaguanas, at 9 am for the Soca Brunch, a semi-acoustic concert featuring pianist Johanna Chuckaree, violinist Andre Donawa and Nailah Blackman.

From 7 pm Alves and his team will then head to the Offside Restaurant and Sports Bar, South Park, San Fernando, to begin the Chutney Soca concert featuring Ravi B, Zan and Kernal Roberts with a live tassa performance before heading to Jaxx International Grill, MovieTowne, Port of Spain, to complete the shows with the Soca and Steel segment featuring Jadel, Sekon Sta, Shal Marshall and Viking Ding Dong, supported by a live pan performance from Joshua Regrello.

While Alves is confident E Day will restore the pre-pandemic party atmosphere with post-pandemic safety measures, he insists it isn't your typical Carnival fete as each segment was crafted to showcase a different aspect of TT's Carnival.

He hopes outside of the revelry, patrons understand and appreciate the cultural significance of each segment.

"Among the festivities we also have our cultural representation. You're coming and having a good time but remember the culture, not just the revelry but honouring our roots of what is synonymous to TT Carnival."

Outside of being a writer and performer Alves also has experience in organising events through his annual Grateful concert but he admits that the nature of E Day has pushed him to be more resourceful in navigating a tight timeframe with health protocols and the schedule of his fellow entertainers.

He says while the idea was conceived during a pandemic, he hopes to keep the concept of a full day of live concerts going for a post-pandemic setting.

"Even if I can't manage with four segments, I want to see if I can manage with at least three live performances in a day.

"This is something I plan to move into a post-pandemic world its not just something for the pandemic, especially given the good feedback we've been getting."

The feedback Alves refers to has been overwhelmingly positive as the Midnight Mas concert has sold out just one day after tickets were available.

He reasons that after successive lockdowns over a span of two years, people's appetite for live performances has never been higher attracting new and old fans alike.

From this it seems the demand for live events has only grown and performers like Alves are all too happy to oblige.