No Vybz – patrons upset as international stars blank concert

WIDELY condemned by attendees as a failure and one of the most disastrously organised events in the history of Trinidad and Tobago’s entertainment scene, the One Caribbean Music Festival (OCMF) left patrons outraged and deeply disappointed.

Many have likened the experience to being swindled, as top international artistes – Vybz Kartel, Sizzla, Moliy and Malie Donn – who had been advertised for the event pulled out at the last minute, with some citing "contractual breaches by the promoter."

On OCMF's official Instagram, it said the event was scheduled to start at 9.30 pm on May 31.

When Newsday arrived at the Queen's Park Savannah around 9.50 pm at the VIP/backstage entrance, sound checks were still being done.

Roughly 40 people had already gathered outside this entrance, waiting to be let in, however, they were told that they were not yet ready to allow entry.

Around 10.15 pm those at the entrance were allowed in. Food stalls and the bars were still being set up at this time.

The VIP and VVIP sections were noticeably sparse, with attendees just standing around as a DJ played music. The general sections, however, had quite a large crowd.

As the night progressed, the crowd in all sections got noticeably larger. The food stalls and the bar were set up in full by 11.30 pm.

Late start leaves patrons fuming

Newsday interviewed attendees across the various sections of the event – general, courtyard, VIP, and VVIP. However, all those interviewed declined to give their names.

One woman from south Trinidad asked, "Who are the people in charge of One Caribbean, so I'll know to never support anything, anything, they ever have again."

She bought a $650 courtyard ticket and was upset that the international performers pulled out of the event.

"This is pure s--t. Pure nonsense. I can't say if it's really the promoter, but it looks like it is. It is too many of them."

Asked how she felt about the late start of performances, she said, "Poor organisation, from the get-go. I do not expect this night to get better. It's already minutes to one, it is not getting better than this."

An 18-year-old from San Fernando said he too was disappointed because he paid specifically to see Kartel.

"We paid our money but we were not going to let it waste, so that's why we didn't stay home."

He said he paid for the $2,700 VVIP section and was upset by numerous shortcomings.

"Besides the performances not starting yet, the bar does not have a variety of drinks and we have no wristbands to access the VIP and general gates from the VVIP.

"Paying this amount of money, we should get that wristband that gives us that access. We have friends in VIP and we want to lime with them, but because of the organisation of the event, we cannot leave here."

Another man said he was disheartened by how the night unfolded.

"I am very, very, very disappointed in the outcome of this event. This did not fulfil my desired expectation at all."

When interviewed, no live performances had started. He said, "I feel Fitts St Bar seeing me tonight. This is madness."

He paid $1,600 for a VIP ticket and was unable to access the free finger foods and top shelf bar items for sale, also due to the lack of wristbands.

The first musical performance came at 12.30 am on June 1. Pannist and newly-minted Guinness World Record Holder Joshua Regrello opened the show.

He attempted to energise the crowd, but those who had been waiting since 10 pm were far too frustrated to respond.

Tobagonian soca artiste Verrse also tried his best but got a similar response.

Around 1.10 am, the crowd finally came to life. Chutney singer Ravi B took to the stage and delivered many of his hits from his wide catalogue. Iwer George followed and gathered a similar positive response from the crowd.

An almost hour-long lull in performances reignited the frustration that had only just begun to fade from the crowd.

The first and only international act at the event was Chronic Law. He managed to draw cheer from the crowd, who sang along during his 20-minute-long performance.

Lady Lava also received a warm response from the crowd, captivating them with a poetic prelude to her songs before delivering the full, polished version.

She was the final live performance of the night. However, the DJ continued playing and had a Kartel session around 2.50 am – the highlight of the night for some. The DJ's set finished just after 3 am. Newsday approximated the final crowd to have around 3,000 people.

Police: Minor mishaps at event

Newsday noticed a high police presence in and around the OCMF. Members of the TT Fire Service were also in attendance, rendering assistance to patrons who had fallen ill for a variety of reasons throughout the event.

Despite the earlier chaos and frustration among patrons over the absence of the headline international artistes, Newsday observed a surprisingly calm atmosphere as the event went along.

However, around 3 am, as the event drew to a close, a woman stormed the stage, tampering with equipment and disrupting the lights and speakers.

When event security attempted to remove her, tensions flared and bottles were thrown towards the stage.

This prompted a response by the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) to restore order.

Gold commander for the One Caribbean Unity Music Festival, acting ACP Garvin Henry, told Newsday on June 1 that one man was arrested for throwing missiles.

Henry said despite this, the event went relatively "incident-free."

At the Festival, guns, glass bottles and weed were all banned from the event.

Newsday saw more than a dozen instances of individuals openly carrying glass bottles and others smoking weed during the event.

Asked how this was possible Henry said, "We did do proper checks, however, the original arrangement with regards to access to the compound was not completely adhered to (by the promoters)."

Henry said the promoters fell far short of what was expected at the venue.

"People were able to gain access to the venue other than through those points. I suspect that this is what may have occurred in many instances.

"The promoters themselves fell far short of what was discussed with regards to preparations. The police catered for a venue prepared in a particular way to manage the security and safety."