Entertainment

Huge turnout for 'Unfinished Business'

By MEL COOKE, Freelance Writer

Vybz Kartel addressing the huge audience at Star Jam 2K5 - Unfinished Business, held at Pier 1 in Montego Bay, St. James, on Saturday night. - herbert mckenis

western bureau:

WITH THE PROMISE of four major league performers who were not on the bill for last month's Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest 2005, 'Star Jam 2K5 - Unfinished Business' pulled a bumper crowd into Pier 1, Montego Bay, on Saturday night.

When the show was over at 6:10 a.m. on Sunday, of the four, closing performer Bounty Killer had settled the issue of his being left off the Sumfest line-up and addressed Beenie Man sternly, Vybz Kartel had dropped a deluge of lyrics and Fantan Mojah worked an unrehearsed set with the Anger Management Band, which handled all the artiste support duties for the night.

Bounty explained the absence of the fourth at the end of his 50-minute set. "Unfortunately Buju the Gargamel got stuck in Pittsburgh. We couldn't just leave the stage like that," he said.

Movie Star and Allan Ranks were the concert's hosts.

The band took a break after the night's sole female, Lady Champagne, whose "tuck een yu tongue" reply to 'tuck een yu belly' was the solitary spark with the audience in her brief showing.

Before intermission some of New Kidz' lyrics struck a strong note with the audience. Kibaki introduced the girls to Donna and Mobado sang to his Baby Girl.

Pickney, with querulous voice and biting lyrics, was a hit with the audience as he dropped lyric after humorous lyric and earned forward after forward.

After the break Hit List requested "please stop the killing", East Coast hailed the Fatty Boom and Jagwa took no Dishonour. There was excitement when he introduced Busy Signal, to whose Step Out there was an explosion of applause. He rolled his 'rs' as he informed a cutey "check me later/it be greater/mek yu sing like Christine Aguilererrr".

Get heated

Things stepped up a notch with the culture of Norris Man, his Persistence and closing Home and Away getting the audience's attention. There was fanfare for Fantan Mojah and his "love and go roun' dem" and he called up Teflon who pleaded Bless Me Jah.

Star Jam 2K5 settled into a dancehall groove with Bling Dawg, who had the ladies going to the gym and he did the lyrical nasty with Nicky-Ann. His strong Shotta Ting had the audience in his corner and when he put his phone to his ear and deejayed his robbery plight there was only one man who could answer.

There was an explosion of cheering for Vybz Kartel in full white and in a manner similar to his clothes Kartel was lyrically crisp for his hardcore audience, whether it was a counteraction to Spragga Benz or advising the girls "don't tek no feel up inna de school bus". There was pandemonium for I Never, which preceded Wayne Marshall's explosive entry to the stage. He asked "why yu doing it" and expressed his wish to 'marry Juana' and there was a surprise as a 'my God' announced the Twin of Twins presence. The duo addressed Macka Diamond's counteraction to their song, although saying "we are not angry about it".

The roars went up for Bounty Killer at 5:20 a.m. and he came on to stand front and centre and hit an emphatic 'people dead!'. He delivered the songs, singing where required (Lodge, Look Into My Eyes, Eagle an De Hawk, Its OK, Fitness with Nitty Kutchie), addressed Sumfest , men wearing pink and sent out a signal to Beenie Man .

There was an a capella salute to the good fathers, as well as mothers, before Bounty Killer closed on a social note with the wish for "no more suffering, no more pain."