The stars aligned for the highly anticipated debut of the Love Jamaica Music and Food Festival, held on November 23 at the University of the West Indies Bowl. The event, featuring a vibrant mix of reggae and R&B, came just a month after Boyz II Men had graced the same venue.
At 9:00 PM, hosts Debbie Bissoon, stunning in a black pantsuit with a matching jacket, brought the energy and excitement to the stage.
She was joined by New York DJ Glamour Wayne as they kicked off the festivities, introducing the first performer of the night: 2024 Digital Rising Stars winner Akeen Fennell.
After a brief technical audio glitch, Akeen quickly won over the crowd when Debbie Bissoon suggested he perform an impromptu acapella rendition of Bob Marley’s “One Love.” He encouraged the audience to join in as his spontaneous backup choir. Once the mic was fixed, Akeen delivered a flawless performance, including a crowd-pleasing rendition of Shaggy’s “Boombastic” over the instrumental of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
Next up was Jamaican soul group L.U.S.T., performing without Thriller U, who missed his flight from the US. The remaining members—Lukie D, Singing Melody, and Tony Curtis—treated the crowd to a set filled with their hit songs like “Just As I Am,” “You’re The Inspiration,” and “Run Free.” Their performance ended with a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday” for Singing Melody, who turned 57 that night.
One of the night’s main acts, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Joe, followed, stepping on stage dressed in a bold leopard print shirt, yellow pants, and matching shoes. The 51 year-old American singer delivered a greatest hits set, and the crowd went wild when he performed “More and More,” a track written by R. Kelly that was the lead single from Joe’s 2003 album And Then…. Other highlights included his number-one hit “Stutter,” along with top-ten songs “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do),” “I Wanna Know,” and his collaboration with Big Pun, “Still Not a Player.”
Sanchez took the stage just after 11:00 PM, performing with a full band and accompanied by two conspicuous men standing stage side, drawing the curiosity of the audience. His cover-filled set was well received by the crowd.
The Manhattans closed the night at around 2:00 am, just in time to catch their 4: 00 am flight out of the island.
