The return of Yush, the signature 90s dancehall party series surpassed all expectations. Along with other events staged over the holidays, Covid is now an afterthought, at least that’s how it seemed this past weekend as fans flocked Kingston and Ocho Rios with cups in hand and no mask in sight.
The perfect pairing of Beenie Man and Yush pulled out a crowd of 30 somethings who came of age in the era.
With a max capacity, the single headliner, took the stage at approximately 10:52 belting out hits after hits. He started with an acapella Buju Banton tribute of “Our Fada” then quickly went into the riddims that defined the era. The consumate entertainer performed his like Nuff Gyal, Sim Simma, Romie, and his international hits like Who Am I and King Of The Dancehall.
With masterful crowd control and entertainment value, after about 45 minutes he announced that he had another event and had to go.
The party went on with Coppershot and Stone love rocking the euphoric crowd with early 90s and 2000 hits.
DJs Arif Cooper and Kurt Riley infused some soca into the mix as small drizzles threatened to end the party.
Overall, the Easter party scene which ended last night with a down town Kingston version of “I Love Soca” was an exciting three-day celebration of the Jamaica’s party scene’s resurgence.
The issue of safety and adequate parking has placed a damper on several events over the weekend.
Which triggered the organizers of I Love Soca to promise, a “safe, secure & memorable experience..along with police presence on the roadways”.
“Police presence” that was missing from Ocho Rios’ where “FOF” was staged. Images of a traffic nightmare surfaced on social media Saturday evening as passers by as well as party goers, were reportedly left stranded four hours due to lack of visible authority to guide the increased vehicles in the tourist town.
Mammee Bay traffic rn #FOF pic.twitter.com/a0lIGDCEbL
— Oz (@oswaldasmith) April 16, 2022
Standstill traffic in Ochi….more than 5 lanes now exist.#FOF #Ochi pic.twitter.com/dWf9OB36aU
— D.Haynes (@DwayneHaynes345) April 17, 2022
Following an emergency meeting between stakeholders at the St Ann Municipal Corporation on Sunday, the St. Ann Municipal authority has reportedly suspended events from Pearly Beach in the Parish as a result of Saturday’s lack of proper planning.
“Immediately, we’re suspending the permit for (events at) Pearly Beach for a little while,” Mayor Sydney Stewart told The Gleaner after the meeting.
“The police made that recommendation until we are able to examine again the Pearly Beach venue because the primary disturbances were really at Pearly Beach, according to the police,” Stewart continued.
Data from the Ministry Of Entertainment shows that over $100-billion was lost in the sector due to the shut downs over the past two years. The data also shows that $195-billion in annual economic loss due to closure of arts and entertainment entities, events and activities, with over 76,000 direct and indirect jobs affected in the entertainment sector.
As the sector looks to recover it’s Pre-Covid-19 projections of $200-billion, some parties are designing branded tours to take more events overseas in larger venues.
