Destra and Denise Belfon star at Divas show

WHILE THERE was good entertainment coming out of the much-anticipated “Divas of Soca” concert on Wednesday night, the show went into overtime because of the many younger artistes who gave performances more suitable to a fete than a concert.

However, patrons were thoroughly entertained by Denise Belfon, who got the loudest ovation of the night, and veteran Calypso Rose (McArthur Lewis), who captivated the audience. Destra Garcia also gave an electrifying performance, as did guest artistes Shurwayne Winchester with “The Band Coming” and Maximus Dan with “Soca Train.” First artiste on stage was Nikiesha Toussaint, followed by Onika Bostic and Nicole Greaves before Pure Energy’s lead singer, Michelle Sylvester, thrilled the crowd with her “Go Ahead and Horn Me.” Then came guest performer Poser with “Mr Q.” When Rose was announced, the audience gave a loud roar of approval. She had the capacity crowd singing along to her “Side Man Sweet,” then shifted into a verse and chorus of her 1967 classic “Fire Fire.” Rose ended her stint on stage with “Shoes.”

Reigning Calypso Monarch Singing Sandra (Sandra Des Vignes-Millongton) also delivered a sterling concert performance with powerful renditions of “Cry For Peace” and “One Day of Prayer.” Reigning Road March queen Faye Ann Lyons followed with her latest Road March contender, “Freedom.” One of the highly anticipated moments came in the second half of the programme when pregnant Barbadian soca star Allison Hinds made her appearance. Hinds, who is six months pregnant, surprised the crowd when, for a brief moment, she gave a “wine to the ground,” before getting into “Carnival Baby.” Sanell Dempster pleased the crowd with “A Little Bit” but she was followed by the most energetic performance of the evening from Destra who did “In The Air,” “Come Beta” and “Bonnie and Clyde.” But by far the star of the evening was Denise Belfon delivering one of her trademark performances with liberal amounts of gyrating.