St. Kitts Music Festival Closed with Flying Colors

Caribbean groovy soca artist, Biggie Irie, was one of the exciting opening night acts who set the tone for this year’s St. Kitts Music Festival with his lyrics, “Nah Goin’ Home til the Morning Comes.”

That same sentiment and high energy level continued throughout all three nights of the weekend festival, as world class performances showcased the unique mix of musical styles and blend of local, regional, and international musical artists for which the annual St. Kitts event has become well known.

St. Kitts’ own Lights Out Band (LOB) International, featuring all teenage musicians, kicked off the event on Thursday night, which also featured The Grand Masters Band, King Konris, Lord Nelson, Lejah Band, Blade & Byke, Biggie Irie, Edwin Yearwood & Iwer George, leading up to the dancehall flavor of Mavado, who closed the first night as the crowd pressed up to the front of the stage, eager for more.

Friday drew the largest crowd, with Ziggy Rankin, Odisi Band and local rapper Dagah joining the much loved Beres Hammond in belting out hit after hit, much to the delight of the appreciative audience. Stephen Marley performed a perfect mix of his own award winning hits along with some classics by his legendary father, Bob Marley, such as “Could You Be Loved” and “Three Little Birds,” to which the huge crowd happily sang along.

Reggae icon Burning Spear ended the evening on a conscious note, playing off the infectious energy of the crowd and threatening not to leave the stage because of the tremendous love he was receiving from the adoring crowd.

Saturday saw Hans & the Hillbillies, a locally based country music band, bringing a fresh sound and avid following who rarely stopped dancing to the final night of the event. St. Kitts’ own KC 5 Band and emerging soca star, Shakki, also kept the festival mood in high spirits.

Celebrity guest host actor Keith David was introduced with a video compilation of clips from some of his movies, such as “Platoon” and “There’s Something About Mary.” He was proud to introduce his friend Regina Belle, who charmed the audience with “Make It Like It Was,” “A Whole New World” and “This is Love” as well as a wide selection from her outstanding career of recordings.

Beginning what was to be quite a weekend for him, hip-hop artist T-Pain took the stage next. Prior to his performance, he remarked “If you want T-Pain, you’re gonna get T-Pain!” and he certainly delivered. The following evening, he was in Los Angeles, performing at the 2009 BET Awards and taking home the Best Collaboration award for the song “Blame It,” on which he was featured with Jamie Foxx.

Closing the final night of the show was the legendary KC & The Sunshine Band, kicking off their set with KC calling to the crowd, “Come on, shake your booty St. Kitts!” before bursting into their number-one-hit song “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” followed by more of their disco hits. In speaking about his performance, KC remarked, “I feel like I’m home tonight.”

Throughout the three nights of the Festival, both the performing artists and the partying audience paid tributes to recently departed pop megastar Michael Jackson, whose sudden passing occurred just hours before the start of the festival.