Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Richie Stephens lends his voice to the retro celebrations while Freddie McGregor, the billed act for the night, looks on. - Nathaniel Stewart photos

A lively performance from Freddie McGregor was the right ingredient to get the vibe started at Retro On The Roof, held at the Pegasus hotel, on Saturday night.

With lights from the moon, the city and scented candles creating a relaxing ambience on the roof of the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, patrons rocked to songs from the '80s. Dancehall artistes including Tiger, Lady G and Papa San were in the mix for that period. Some persons sang along, while a few did the 'skank'.

Then 'Mix Master' Marvin began playing disco songs. Immediately, couples went on the dance floor, moving to songs such as Celebrate and Good Times. The energy on the roof increased further when Freddie McGregor took the stage at 11:30 p.m.

Starting his set with How I Feel before going into If You Wanna Go, he had the audience rocking to every beat. The crowd responded well to songs like Blame It On Me, Stop Loving You and Big Ship Sailing On The Ocean.

Almost bathing in his sweat, McGregor invited fellow veteran artiste Marcia Griffiths to sing We'll Be Together. Griffiths' natural voice was melodious and crisp.

After a sweet treat from Griffiths, Freddie McGregor invited Richie Stephens to the stage to perform the Dennis Brown hit Revolution.

Beenie Man was also invited to add his retro dancehall flavour to the mix. He did so with songs such as Romie, Who Am I and Girls Dem Sugar earning possibly the biggest positive response for the night, especially from the women.

Christopher Martin, who was present, was acknowledged by Freddie McGregor who said the 2005 Rising Stars winner was not yet a retro artiste.

Exotic treat

Freddie McGregor thrilled the audience at Retro on the Roof.

Freddie McGregor also gave the audience another treat by singing a Japanese folk song and then another song in Spanish.

Nearing the end, McGregor went back in time to sing ska songs like Wings Of A Dove and Carry Go Bring Come which saw Beenie Man, Richie Stephens and Francois St Juste doing their versions of the ska dance.

After a heartfelt set by the main act for the night, it was back to retro mixes from the night's selectors, Mix Master Marvin and Arif Cooper. With the energy created by Freddie McGregor, the crowd, now sufficiently loose, began dancing to soca songs like Tiney Winey, Dollar Wine and Footsteps.

Dance moves like 'bogle' and 'butterfly' were also part of the excitement and inebriated patrons wined to the floor in smooth 'rub-a-dub' style.

A couple gets close during Freddie McGregor's performance.

Marcia Griffith's ageless voice complemented Freddie McGregor's on 'We'll Be Together'.

Beenie Man is not shy, so it was no surprise to see him skanking to retro grooves spun by FAME Deejay, Mix Master Marvin.