35,000 go ‘fete mad’ at Alternative Concert
A CROWD estimated by police at being comfortably in the 35,000 range, crammed into the Queen’s Park Savannah Saturday night for Machel Montano’s Alternative Concept 4 Concert which apart from a few minor scuffles — including one in which a man was beaten by two women — went smoothly. Everyone who was able to afford the $400 VIP tickets and the $175 general admission tickets converged from as early as 7 pm despite the fact that the show was billed to start two hours later. The teeming crowd was however not allowed into the gates until around 9.30 pm and the waiting continued until 10.25 pm when Fireball came on with an acapella performance. He was sent off with a round of applause as the crowd waited for the ‘big acts’ to enter stage right. And they were not disappointed. Big names in the local and international musical arena including Kes the Band, Allyson Hinds, KMC, Maximus Dan, the group Surge, Red Rat, Mr Vegas, Wyclef Jean, Patrice Roberts, Japanese soca star Minmi and the man of the moment Machel Montano, all had the crowd begging for more. Machel’s Alternative 4 Concept, kept in sync with the themes of his earlier carnival offerings which embraced racial unity, regional integration, inclusion and even carried the message of respect for persons afflicted with HIV/Aids. Machel went a step further, with a reincarnation in sound of deceased soca diva Onika Bostik, who was killed in an accident last year, at the height of her career. A recording of her dynamic voice, sounding so alive and vibrant, left many with an uncanny feeling and a clearly emotional Machel sounded tearful, as he paid tribute to her. Montano dressed in a dhoti, accompanied by the Shiv Shakti Dancers and Randy Singh from SSL Melobugs entered the stage under clouds of confetti and smoke pyrotechnics to the sustained screams of adoring fans. His Indo Caribbean theme sent the crowd crazy and when Drupatee joined him it was Real Unity once again. Alternative Concept 4 also saw the inclusion of a number of local Carnival characters like the moko jumbies and the King Kong acts. And the gyrating bodies scarcely paid attention to the hundreds of police officers and soldiers who kept a watchful eye on the night’s event, moving quickly to investigate whenever they saw unusual movements in the crowd. Wyclef Jean, one of Haiti’s superstars used the huge stage to slam the US Government for the invasion of Iraq, saying it was for the "oil", a point that was loudly applauded by the audience.
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"35,000 go ‘fete mad’ at Alternative Concert"