Dimanche Gras failure

So badly organised was the production, upset patrons began walking out of the Grand Stand during the latter part of the show, which honoured eight of the nation’s cultural icons: masman Peter Minshall; Calypso Rose; cultural pioneer Joyce Wong Sang; ace pan tuner Dr Anthony Williams; late wire bender Stephen Derek, late chutney singer Anand Yankarran and soca stars Machel Montano and Bunji.

In fact, many of the patrons did not even wait to hear the results of the Calypso Monarch competition, the highlight of the event.

One social media user, who viewed the event from Washington, described the show as an “epic failure,” with others lamenting that its blunders were being seen in many destinations around the world.

It was left to soca artiste MX Prime (Edghill Thomas), with his monster hit, We Jammin Still, to save the day.

Omaradath Maraj, Raymond Ramnarine, the Shiv Shakti dancers were not to be outdone with the popular tune Ramsingh Sharma. Ravi B also delivered a thoroughly entertaining performance.

The Icons segment of the show, which came after the performances of the 17 calypsonians began smoothly enough with a presentation by ace pannist Robert Greenidge.

This was followed with a musical interlude by a spiffily-attired Bunji (Ian Alvarez), his wife, Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez and her father SuperBlue (Austin Lyons).

Although the crowd seemed pleased with the performance, the problems began at this juncture as the session appeared to end abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more.

Minshall, an eight-time Band of the Year winner, was the first icon to be honoured. However, he was not present to receive the award but asked that the token instead be given to his adopted sister Sherry-Ann Guy-Coelho, for whom Minshall had created the costume, From The Land of the Hummingbird, in 1974.

Nailah Blackman’s tribute to her late grandfather Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman), Watch Out My Children, provided a sombre, nostalgic air to the event but came after an excrutiatingly lengthy delay for which there was no apology.

At one point, the crowd began clapping in an attempt to get Blackman to the stage.

There also was a lengthy lull before the appearance of Kernal Roberts, son of later calypso icon Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), Roberts, who sang the classic, Sugar Bum, said technical difficulties contributed to his delay.

Minutes later, the audience seemed disappointed when soca star Machel Montano did not respond publicly after being presented with his icon award by Education Minister Anthony Garcia.

“Mic, mic,” some patrons said,” but Montano simply bowed in acknowledgement and walked away.

Next up was Calypso Rose (McArtha Sandy-Lewis), who had to be handed a microphone from one of the event’s hosts to address the crowd.

The award-winning Rose said she was proud to be still in the business after so many decades in the business and vowed to continue in the artform.

“I have opened the door for calypso and the doors have to remain open,” she said to loud applause.

A wheelchair-bound Anthony Williams also responded to his award through a microphone but was barely audible.

Before Stephen Derek’s daughter, Shannon’s appearance to accept her late father’s award, patrons were aghast at the sight of a rewinding tape on the masman’s life and wrote, again the result of a technical glitch.

Accompanied by the Shiv Shakti dancers, in colourful yellow saris, Omardath Maraj and Raymond Ramnarine’s performance of Ramsingh Sharma proved to be one of the segment’s bright spots.

So, too, were the performances of Recruit by Terri Lyons and Skinny Fabulous and Ravi B with Budget.

But it was MX Prime’s presentation of We Jammin Still which had the crowd on its feet for several minutes toward the end of the five and a half hour event.