IF THE CONCEPT of a three-day Hennessy Artistry is successful, you might see it again in 2017.
Al Gilkes of FAS7STAR which is staging the show, said based on the response so far in terms of talks, not ticket sales, “if the turnouts on the nights prove to be a success without a doubt we will do it again next year”.
This year, Hennessy Artistry is showing it’s national pride by making sure the 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations are enjoyed way after November 30. Two days after, on Friday, December 2, the three-day weekend of Hennessy Artistry kicks off with a Taste Of Hennessy, a cocktail party at Cin Cin.
The following Saturday the big show is at Kensington Oval with headliner Lauryn Hill and the Jamaican acts of Bounty Killa, Beenie Man and Tarrus Riley. It climaxes on Sunday with Hennessy On The Beach at Pirates Cove with another Jamaican act, Aidonia.
Also on the cards are local acts.
“We are happy to put Beenie and Bounty on the same stage in Barbados. We have secured the best acts for this year,” said Gilkes.
Gilkes said the three-day line-up was designed specifically for 2016.
“This is the eighth year of Hennessy Artistry and I am so happy it coincides with our 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations, so we said let us do something extra special.”
Based on the new concept introduced two years ago of bringing in an international act, Gilkes said the roster they had was long but it was who they could afford.
“To be honest we had a list. John Legend was our main artiste. He was available but our pockets weren’t. There were others also, but again their booking fees were not in our budget. On an average, when we bring in the Jamaican reggae acts we can see our budget being about BDS$600 000 to BDS$700 000.
Gilkes said when Lauryn Hill’s name came up they called her agent and by negotiation she “fell into what we had available.”
Gilkes said with Hill on the bill they were looking at spending close to under BDS$1 million for the show.
