Members of the band Chalice hold hands and take a bow at the end of their emphatic return performance at 'Symphony, Together Under The Stars Concert', held at King's House Grounds, on Saturday, February 17. - Winston Sill

by Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

The seven members of Chalice entered the darkened stage on King's House lawn individually on Saturday night and, 45 minutes later, stood in a row, held hands and bowed collectively as the audience gave them a standing ovation for an emphatic reunion after 10 years.

The 20-piece Masterpiece orchestra was playing as the members of Chalice took their positions, a voice intoning 'blessed be the father Almighty, blessed be his holy name' and the lights coming up as they started playing with the orchestra, guitarist and vocalist Wayne Armond singing See Me Ya.

Chalice provided harmony through guitarist Steve Golding, keyboard player Alla and lead singer Dean Stephens, drummer Desi Jones, bass guitarist Keith Francis and keyboard player Demar Gayle going without microphones.

Stephens, who was very active on stage as he danced among the loose semi-circle of musicians, asked for hands to go up and they did on Good To Be There.

"Kingston, Jamaica, how yu doing? Long time no see. You look good. We want to turn back the hands of time," Armond said, starting a storyline. "Take you back to the bad old good old days, when man and woman used to dance together," he said to cheers, Stephens hitting Stew Peas.

Armond said he would sit at the dance gate and watch the girls go in, as he wanted the 'fattest' lady. "But sometimes yu fin' de sweetes' girl an' she cyaa do de busines," he said, Stephens lamenting Can't Dub, hip prods indicating just how it should be done.

Armond led Dangerous Disturbances, Golding and Stephens doing a co-ordinated walk to the right of the stage and back.

The band members played and stopped the music thrice, freezing in place each time, Golding alone playing the final time as Armond said "In the decade of the '80s Chalice was touring the world and we would livicate this song to our brothers and sisters trapped under the vicious system of apartheid in South Africa", before Trapped.

The hands raised for 'if yu want to be sanctified' were kept up on Pocomania Day. Armond conducted comically, back to the audience, as Chalice and the orchestra went 'dancehall monic', Stephens adapting the persona of Shaggy with Church Heathen, put a rag on his shiny dome to go on Top a Tings like Capleton and growl When like Tiger.

The encore was a foregone conclusion, Jones giving the count to the orchestra as Armond and Stephens returned, the former hugging a pillow. The first line of Still Love You brought the house down and Armond squeezed the pillow throughout, at one point burying his face in it. When he sang 'say baby' the final time he stopped and there was laughter. Stephens slapped him on the shoulder and said "My yute it hot, but hush, come". And the song as well as Chalice's return, was completed with a plaintive 'still love you'.

They lined up and bowed to a standing ovation.