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Posted On
2007-04-30
by: Stamina
A capacity crowd was cheated of a good show on Saturday night at the Plymouth Jazz Festival in Tobago.
Headline acts US soul music legends Gladys Knight and Diana Ross and R&B queen Mary J Blige all had their performances cut short by organisers, bringing an anti-climax to day two of the three night festival.
The show was said to have been hindered by poor time and stage management.
Plymouth Jazz Festival media relations officer Kiran Maharaj told an international press gathering that the shortened sets were to facilitate the timely departure of the international acts at Crown Point Airport following their performances.
Maharaj said the divas were also partly to blame for the time delays on stage, saying, "Remember we have to work on the pace of the artist."
Ross's onstage comments, meanwhile, suggested she was being forced off prematurely.
"I'm being kicked off stage," Ross, who had just changed into an elegant silver and white gown after performing her first four songs, told the audience.
The 63-year old diva, who has enjoyed a four-decade stellar career, walked on stage just after midnight to tumultuous applause after cueing her band into her 1980 hit "I'm Coming Out".
Dressed in a regal red glittering gown with an elaborate frilled frock on her right arm, her trademark wild hair flowing freely in the night air, she had the figure and appearance of a woman twice her junior when she announced it was party time.
"Tobago, how you doing. Y'all ready to party," Ross said, her every word drawing cheers of approval from the audience.
Not even the regiment soldiers could contain them as they pressed forward towards the stage barricade in the front and stood on their chairs in the back to sing along the lyrics to her hits "Can't Fall In Love", "Touch Me in the Morning" and "Ease On Down The Road".
As Ross left them to a funky breakdown of the latter for a wardrobe change she was informed she had to cut her performance short.
The visibly upset diva returned signalled time-out to her musical director and told the audience the dreaded news.
The jeers were deafening, but she tried to pacify the crowd with some strong words.
"They are telling Diana Ross to leave. They said the opening acts took too long. I've come all the way to Tobago, but you know something, I will survive," she said, silencing the crowd with the opening line of the timeless classic.
Soca queen Destra Garcia stayed her scheduled time of one hour on stage.
Jamaican Reggae star Beres Hammon seemed to have a 15-minute delay in setting up and as a result spent more time on stage.
The Express was informed that the reggae icon was told to carry on with the full length of his set to facilitate the late arrival of hometown girl Heather Headley who was reportedly stuck in traffic.
"I feel I didn't get my money's worth, I would have paid anything to see Diana and they just teased me with a short glimpse," one jazz fan said backstage following Ross's exit.
There was no short changing Headley on the big night of her first performance on home soil.
The former St George's College pupil won the hearts of her countrymen when delivered a spirited performance of her hits "I Wish I Wasn't" and "In My Mind".
"I am Trini to de bone," Headley said before singing the calypso refrain, ala David Rudder, "T&T here we come", earning standing ovation from the proud audience.
Mary J Blige seemed to have already come to terms with shortening her set when she took the stage after 1 a.m. and urged the audience to accept things for what they were in her 2005 R&B remix of Compton rapper The Game's "Hate It or Love It".
While Ross was elegant Mary was fluent and eased across the full width of the stage to lift the spirits of the Jazz faithful with another of her chart toppers "Real Love".
"It's almost over but, don't even worry about it," she said, urging the audience to make the best of their time together.
She followed up with "Time to Say Goodbye", "Take me as I am" and her 2006 Grammy award winner "Be Without You" before closing with the hip hop club anthem "Family Affair".
Gladys Knight also seemed unperturbed by the time restrictions when she took command of the stage before Ross.
Knight turned back the clock with a medley of her hits including much to the delight of the crowd before bidding farewell to Tobago.
All three divas, Ross, Knight and Blige refused press interviews and reportedly left the island early yesterday morning.
more can be read on www.trinidadexpress.com
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