Laughter and tears at Bacchanal

MORE than 60 patrons signed the condolence book for the late Dream Box, whose body lay in state at the opening of the Bacchanal Time calypso tent last Sunday at The Party Stand.And emcee Kevin Hinds got so “emotional” during the show, one member of the audience expressed grave concern about Hinds’ composure at the eventual burial.That was the only “sad” part about the evening’s production. Known for its comedy and stinging social commentary, the Bacchanal brood did not disappoint. Earlier showers only served to cool the atmosphere in the house, but on stage the action was hotter than Supa D’s Pit Bull On Fire.Peach started the first half with I Love Crop-Over, then got out of the way of Supa D’s fiery delivery. Veteran Classic gave time for reflection with I Don’t Think.Nobody gave any serious thought to comedy team Odds ’N’ Ends’ incident at the airport, mostly because everybody was belly-laughing at the time. The trio of Rachel Thorne, Leon Philips and Levi King lived up to the side-splitting standard of Bacchanal comedy.Kid Site renamed Grand Kadooment the Grand Confusion before and after he listed all the other name changes that occurred around Barbados. Change The Name earned him a double encore as he cleared the stage for Eric Lewis and Abolish It. The audience thought he was singing something else, but a quick lesson in pronunciation by Hinds cleared that up.Nard and David Muhameed’s antics were as bizarre as their hairdos and costumes; no one seemed surprised.Next, Cinnabunz got some dancing assistance with Bounce It – not that she needed it  – and the crowd could not help but see why not.Hinds performed his My Dream Box Dead, complete with funeral procession, eulogy and Madd-cap mourning.Back for the second half, Supa D claimed “they all” wanted him to Come Back for Crop-Over, then Classic held his tongue, careful not to sing anything that might be considered Smut.Shawnee showed Frustration and Lyrical expressed love for Barbados just before the soca session started. Leading the charge was Justin King and Peach (Fantasy), followed by Nika Francis of Grenada (Steady Wuk) and HypaSounds (Sugarland). Statement (Feteing) and Timmy (Ya Horn, Keep Up) ended the session, leaving Most Wanted singing Down and Captain Sawyer with his Hold Muh Bird to end the show.