By Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Noddy Virtue rocks the crowd at Lyme Light at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona on February 7, 2006. - WINSTON SILL
In a long-sleeved pastel shirt, with the image of Ché Guevara peeping out where he broke the collar, dark blue jeans and a killer pair of snakeskin shoes, Noddy Virtue walked on to the stage of the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts on Tuesday night.
Virtue was the closing act of Lymelight 2006 and his performance highlighted that since being named the runner-up of last year's Rising Stars competition, his own star has not yet begun to wane. Fans still scream for his most successful renditions from the competition.
Throughout his performance his eyes were hardly ever opened as he concentrated on belting out ballads for all he was worth. With legs slightly spread and his knees bent, to apparently facilitate easy rocking, Virtue set out to bring the house down. Occasionally, as the experience seemed to get too intense he gave a little skip and later would perform a little skank that seemed to have been learnt at the feet of Leroy Smart.
In a quick but rousing finish to the night, Virtue delivered four songs. He began by dipping into the repertoire of Hair Metal band Bon Jovi and came out with Bed of Roses.
For his second piece of the night, Virtue went for a sure fire hit with the scud missile of his repertoire Jimmy Cliff's Rebel in Me. With this song Virtue reached the climax of his performance. It was clear he had touched off the rebellious nature of more than a few women in the audience as they screamed in delight from the first note.
Virtue then turned to Let It Loose which was well-received, but was no match for Rebel in Me. He finished off his performance with a tribute to the fans who had put him on the entertainment map by voting for him in the Rising Stars Competition. Virtue declared that he was grateful to all who had voted, including those who had voted only $1 or $2.
"I wanna thank you all for putting me here/ If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have a career," he sang, putting his gratitude to music. At the end of Virtue's performance, the audience seemed a little hesitant to leave, not quite sure if the night was over.
Indeed, it had been a good end to what had been a generally pleasing and varied night. The University Singers had also given a stellar performance as had Kathy Brown and Djeanne Greaves. The dramatic arts were also a part of the night and were well represented by the monologue 'Me and My Six Men', performed by Carla Moore, and an excerpt from The Glass Menagerie performed by Karl Williams and Maylnne Walton.
The night also featured performances by The University Dance Society, Neila Ebanks, Leighton Rodney, the Ratio Band, the University Chorale, the Panoridim Steel Orchestra and a slide show of black and white photography by the Camera Club.
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