The long road home: Voice brings US tour home to Trinidad and Tobago

The effects of the pandemic on the Carnival industry saw many soca artistes who rely on their annual Carnival income to fly out to make a living in countries with more relaxed covid19 protocols.

The Vibes with Voicey Concert Tour piggybacked on the success of soca artiste Aaron “Voice” St Louis’s Instagram live stream of the same name, collaborating with DJ and producer Travis World and secondary school friend Jared Penny.

The live stream featured appearances by local celebrities including Lyrikal, Nadia Batson, and Kes.

The tour, which began in August of last year, made stops in Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Boston, Miami, and New York City.

After a two-year Carnival hiatus, Voice returned to the TT stage on Thursday in the Queen’s Park Savannah during the government’s Taste of Carnival line up of events. The sold-out event also marked the first major solo event of the three-time international soca monarch’s career.

Not even the threat of heavy showers could deter the eager crowd who made sure to walk with umbrellas after people on social media warned concert goers of the potential downpour that evening.

The show got off to a late start but that only served to amp up the already excited crowd who all did not seem to mind the extra party time.

Voice was driven onto the stage in a vintage car flanked by his backup dancers and moved the restless crowd to his latest high-energy hit Out and Bad, a sample of the Lord Kitchener’s Brooklyn Woman.

The concert featured a long list of well-known and emerging soca artistes including Nadia Batson, Nailah Blackman, Mical Teja, Lyrikal, Farmer Nappy, GBMNutron, KI, and Jamaican dancehall artiste Kranium.

Voice also invited soca veteran Dexter “Blaxx” Stewart onto the stage. Blaxx has been recovering from lung and kidney-related health issues. In 2020, he had surgery for an undisclosed illness and fundraisers were organised by his fans and fellow artistes to assist with medical expenses.

Although he needed some assistance off the stage, he was still able to perform a few lines of his 2022 hit Mash Up for which the crowd, happy to see him on stage, showed their appreciation.

“You are the reason for this concert. You are the reason for its success,” Voice told the crowd.

Intermittent showers only affected patrons on the north side of the stage who were in the pods implemented by the NCC to maintain physical distancing at the venue.

The pods cost patrons $1,500 to hold six people and $2,100 to hold nine. The cost of seats on the other side of the stage in the covered Grande Stand were priced at $200 a person.

To the disappointment of concertgoers, however, the show was abruptly shut down by police at 2 am just as Iwer George took the stage. George announced the end of the show and Voice, co-operating with the officers’ instructions, said goodbye to his fans, although visibly disappointed he could not complete his set.

“The show was wonderful,” said one concertgoer as she hurried out of the pods section after the show. “We had a time. The only issue was the rain.”

Another patron, who requested anonymity, disagreed. “The rain was a good touch,” she said. “I liked it.”

Another group of female friends complained to Newsday that the process of entering the venue was not as organised as they would have liked.

“To get to the entrance was ridiculous. There were no signs. No one to direct us. We were here for an hour just trying to find the entrance. It was a turn off from the beginning.” Despite the early setbacks, the women said they enjoyed the show.

One of Voice’s backup dancers Alyssa Branker said the team pushed through the unexpected delays.

“We have to keep hopeful and try to push through it. We said our prayers before every performance and, in the end, it worked out for the best; even with the setbacks.”

Branker said it was exciting to be back on stage but needed some time to readjust to the intensity of performing, especially under the time constraints owing to the late announcement of the Taste of Carnival.

Another dancer Chandel Carrington, who was with Voice during the US tour, told Newsday the team had a lot of emotions about bringing the show to TT.

“It’s home. This is our core. It’s where we’re from. Just knowing your friends and family are right there in a pod, you want to do your best.”

She said preparation time for the show was tight because they weren’t certain there would be any Carnival events until the government’s announcement in January.

She said the production of Thursday’s show was a bit more as new sets, dancers, and artistes were added. She said preparation for the US tour was similar, in that there was not much time to prepare.

“It was a lot of work because we had to fit in rehearsals for a big tour. Everything moved so fast. (The tour) evolved from the Vibes with Voicey lives (and) everyone moved quickly to jump on that opportunity.”

She said the show was well received in the US. “It’s the people who have Trini parents and feel they more Trini than us,” she joked.

“The representation was large, and the turnout was larger. They loved Voice and the whole team. You felt the energy.”