Dem still in a coffin - No Competition

Congratulations are certainly in order to now two time power soca monarch Ricky T. Let me also say congrats to Islah Man and Superman HD/Teddyson John and by extension Studio 758 for capturing the first and second runner up positions respectively. For much of Saturday night I was tempted to ask for my money back due to what I and indeed a large portion of patrons thought was quite frankly a show that simply did not deliver or lived up to expectation.

Like many others I too had come prepared to do some jumping and waving. Drink pack saddled to my back, flag in hand and my dirtiest pair or sneakers to boot …after all this was supposed to be it, pair dirt, the mother load, the show for true soca lovers like myself, this was supposed to be pack with energy and excitement rolled in that eclectic atmosphere. Well, that’s what I thought, but performer after performer, seemed to come up short, some blatantly dismal and others simply out of their league. Orion was the first performer and first causality.

Before the bell sounded to end round one…praise God for that…nine other performers would take to the stage but the crown was unmoved. Out of that lot just one performer – Superman HD/Teddyson John made any impression on me and so to the judges.

Frost, slated to perform in round one was totally frozen in time… some say correcting school papers regionally…be it true or not, there was no Viking ‘ra ra ra’ chant to accompany that Viking dance I so much anticipated. My disappointment is now mounting rapidly. Esteban, Blaze, De Arc, Winter, Minell, Coco Farmer and many more just didn’t seem to have what it took to rouse or wake the sizable crowd.

Then came more disappoints, some of the ‘big gun’ I was expecting to deliver and save the night did not. Q-Pid, Mantius, Platinum, George, and Alpha, all with great songs, just failed or fell flat in terms of performance. They appeared overly concerned with presentations rather than performance.

When the second round got underway it was clear that Superman HD/Teddyson John was the act to beat, the question was who would? That call would be answered only by two performers - Islah Man and Ricky T. During their performances I was reminded for what reason I came…yes to hump and wave and get on like a jumbie and to mingle with my fire city people. They both were at their best and the only difficult decision was who of the two would put on the crown.

The results being a foregone conclusion I made my way out of the Mindoo Phillip Park long before the results were announced.