“Gully side! Gully side! Ganja!” announced the arrival of the ‘Gully God’ Mavado at Friday’s Jamzone Regional Concert which was marred by rainy weather and a slushy National Stadium.
The hundreds who came out to see the Jamaican artiste, however, made sure they got their money’s worth, as they gyrated in the stands and under umbrellas to some of his most popular tunes including ‘Money changer’ and ‘Come into my room.’
Mavado had earlier called for the three-year-old Gaza/Gully musical feud to end, but it seems his position has since changed. From the time he came onto the stage at 1.40 am Saturday morning, the word “Gully” rolled off his lips and the crowd seemingly ignorant of its significance went into a frenzy.
During a press conference at the Princess Hotel on Friday afternoon, the promoters had said that the artist had requested that no questions be asked about Gaza/Gully or about violence.
Scattered showers delayed the 8 o’clock start of the concert, although the Trinidadian band, Karma, heated up the stage when things finally got under way just before midnight. Ravi B and Nisha B were good, but newcomer Gregory was electrifying. Not only can he dance – like Usher which is a hard thing to do – but he can sing any type of song. He gave the crowd a taste of chutney, dancehall, old school, soca and even some rap.
All those who were cold and wet suddenly forgot their discomfort and became enthused with the energy radiating from this crossover band which delivers good performances every time they come to Guyana. It must be noted, however, that they started off slowly and for a minute it seemed as if they were going to give a reprise of their swimsuit segment performance with songs like ‘Gal yuh know ah was a drinka’ and ‘Waka, waka.’ However, then the music changed and the performance got better and better.
The large crowd was determined not to let the rain spoil their night and many ventured closer to the stage to have some fun. The excellent lighting effects on the stage added to the performances although now and then the sound reception was poor.
In contrast to Karma, Trinidadian soca band duo, JW & Blaze, failed to deliver as they sang their song ‘Palance’ and disappeared. The Karma band then returned and continued the energy vibes before making way for the Classique dancers who disappointingly performed the same dance they did at the swimsuit segment the previous week.
The popular Jory had his fifteen minutes on stage too.
It was not just young people who came. Children as young as two and elderly folks were at the show as well.
Those manning the gate had difficulty controlling the crowd. There were not enough female police ranks to frisk the ladies and this caused a build-up.
Ganja smoking also put a damper on the proceedings for some. During the early hours, uniformed officers could be seen patrolling the stands but as the night advanced they disappeared.
