“And mi say bacchanal is de word”, sings Sweet Soca monarch Biggie Irie in Pankatang. Well, bacchanal was exactly what the Gymnasium massive came for on Wednesday night and they were not disappointed.
MADD Entertainment’s show Bacchanal Time And The Best Of Crop Over had exciting offerings from all of the major acts for this year’s Crop Over season.
The night got off to an eruptive start with Hypa Sounds doing So Good. He came back later in the night with dancers and did his Dutti song.
The crowd was also treated to performances from Super D, 16-year-old Mr VJ, Imani, Peter Ram, Statement and Timmy.
The highlight of the first half came when nine-time monarch Red Plastic Bag delivered a medley of songs – If Ah Sweet Ah Sweet, Once Upon A Wine, Something’s Happening and Roller Coaster – that caused the crowd to get up and dance.
Rudefus closed the first half with a spicy serving of his Jerk Meat. As he sang and danced on stage, the audience erupted to his signature “ole boy” moves and witty lyrics.
The second half started with a close to half-hour session of comedy from Trevor Dynomite Eastmond which left the crowd in stitches. Some were seen clutching their sides and others even fell out of their seats.
Laff-It-Off added to the fare of comedy with two short, hilarious skits.
Bacchanal Time even treated patrons to a taste of the MQI/Banks/LIM Pic-O-De-Crop offerings for tonight.
De Announcer and Classic started with some thought-provoking social commentary. But it was De Announcer who brought the house down with his cleverly-written and feistily-delivered The Man They Love To Hate.
At the end of each verse the Gymnasium screamed in approval so that by the end of his performance he received a well-deserved encore.
It was then Lil Rick’s time to bring the party to the second half. The four-time Party Monarch rocked the crowd with a high-energy performance.
Like RPB, he did a medley of songs testing the crowd and quizzing them about their knowledge of his songs.
“Wanna know this one?” he asked before launching into his set which included: Behave, Bumper Inspector, Hard Wine, Dollar Wine and 2014 hit Last Man To Leave. Rick had the crowd in his hand and at his every command as they sang, danced and waved rags.
Mikey with Next To De Rope and Stiffy’s Ride kept the pace going. When Sanctuary hit the stage it suddenly became a “wonderful Wednesday” as soon as he sang the first note of Mega Monday. He whipped the massive into a frenzy as he also jumped and pranced on the stage. His job was easy since the crowd did most of the singing for him.
However, the real bacchanal started when newly-crowned Party Monarch Gorg took charge of the “horner” crew at the Gym. He made the hundreds who were there sing Meh Rum with him a cappella style. Dressed in a rag to cover his upper body, a straw hat, beach shorts and slippers, he promised the crowd he would get himself back together and purchase items his former girlfriend “took” from him.
Gorg was fittingly followed by fellow monarch, Sweet Soca king Biggie Irie. He used the opportunity to thank his fans for the support throughout the years, especially this year of victory. He then invited them to come party with him. They heeded the king’s instructions and left their seats and danced to the “sweetest soca” for the season Pankatang.
Leadpipe & Saddis aka Porgie & Murdah closed the show. They sang last year’s hit song Condense, Benup and Rabbit before ending with Ah Feeling. By then everyone was on their feet, seemingly “feeling” the same “feeling” the duo was experiencing.
