Beenie Man

So, it happened once again, where the non-appearance of a highly-anticipated performer at a major concert led to missiles being flung on the stage.

This time, though, it was at a family-oriented show, the Portland Jerk Festival, on Sunday when the absence of Mr Sim Simma, Beenie Man, caused an uproar. This, of course, makes it more serious, as there could have been a situation where a stampede occurred and children were hurt.

(This does not mean that if only adults were hurt it would have been OK. But, you know, that there is a different emotional impact when the young ones are put at risk.)

This problem of no-show and then all throw is not new and, in a previous 'Hype', I had noted that while hurling missiles at people (especially as the MC and band members have nothing to do with the event's promotion) is wrong, I can understand the anger at a being short-changed for your hard-earned money.

But while the focus is always on the reason why the performer in question did not turn up and the way in which the announcement was handled, there is another angle that should be considered. While Jamaica is chock-full of good performers, there are precious few headliners. In other words, on a typical concert line-up (not those of the vintage variety) there is usually that one person, who is going to perform last, who the people really, really want to see. (Of course, concerts such as Sting and Dancehall Night at Sumfest are the exception.)