Pan In the 21st Century champs again

Defending champions Witco Desperadoes retained it’s title in the Pan In the 21st Century competition held at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Saturday night.

Playing on pans tuned by Bertie Marshall, Bertrand Kelman and Gabriel Robley the band performed a current R&B hit song by Ne-Yo — “So Sick” — as arranged by Keith Salcado and Eddie Quarless.

Halfway through its presentation, Desperadoes had the savannah audience screaming at its performance.

It was exactly 10.51 pm when Keith Salcado gave Desperadoes the count and the Laventille-based band presented the audience and judges with six minutes of musical ecstasy which saw the band amass 284 points, ten more than its nearest rivals. These ten points proved to be the exact amount Desperadoes added to its preliminary round score.

Second placed bp Renegades improved its first round score by two points (274) to squeeze ahead of Neal and Massy’s Trinidad All Stars (273) which did not show an improvement from its first round.

Renegades’ rendition of Jit Samaroo’s arrangement of “All Night Long” on instruments tuned by Betrand Kelman was a crowd pleaser. But All Stars was not able to invoke its final night magic with “Black Orpheus.”

Solo Pan Knights gave a spirited performance of The Commodores “Night Shift” to improve its first round score by 12 points to tie with All Stars for third. Another band coming in third was BWIA Invaders which also made a fantastic comeback adding 15 points to its first round score with the performance of Arddin Herbert’s arrangement of “For The Love of You.”

Before the Pan In the 21st Century competition, Single Pan Bands had their turn in the Pan Down Memory Lane competition.

Defending champions La Horquetta Pan Groove took the title for a fourth straight year with its rendition of a Duvonne Stewart’s arrangement of “I’m In a Dancing “Mood.”

The band from Neville Jules Crescent, Phase 5 La Horquetta, did its homework and improved its score from the first round by 14 points to 265 defeating Angostura Woodbrook Playboyz into second place (261).

Playing in position six, La Horquetta Pan Groove injected some much needed life into the show which started one hour before.

Playboyz went into the final round as leaders with 260 points, but could only muster one point more.

St James Tripolians came in third with its performance of Darryl Reid’s arrangement of The Platters’ “Smoke gets in Your Eyes.

The winners walked away with $ 50,000 (Pan in the 21st Century) and $15,000 (Pan Down Memory lane) for their efforts. The full results are as follows:

Pan Down memory Lane

1st La Horquetta Pan Groove 265

2nd Angostura Woodbrook Playboyz 261

3rd St James Tripolians 257

4th La Romaine Super Vibes 254

5th Ice Water Pan Ensemble 251

6th Harlem Syncopaters 250

6th The Graduates 250

8th Scrunters Pan Groove 249

9th Hi Larks 248

10th Is We 246

11th Pan Revival 240

12th Arima Marsicans 235

13th Trinidad Nostalgic 231

Pan In The 21st Century

1st WITCO Desperadoes 284

2nd bp Renegades 274

3rd N&M Trinidad All Stars 273

3rd Solo Pan Knights 273

3rd BWIA Invaders 273

6th Excellent Stores Silver Stars 272

7th Sagicor Exodus 270

8th Tropical Angel Harps 269

9th Petrotrin Deltones 263

10th HCL Valley Harps 262

11th PCS Starlift 258

12th Highlanders 256