RENEGADES SHINE AT EIGHT OF HEARTS

[Michael Marcano]

Renegades put down a performance worthy of their, world-class billing at the fabulous, “Eight of Hearts Steelband Concert” on Saturday 8th May, 2010, on the grounds of the Laventille Community Complex. The fifth act to take the stage, the East Port of Spain band kicked off their thirty-five minutes set with Jorge Ben Jor’s ‘Mas Que Nada.’ They next performed Chopin’s ‘Grande Valse Brillante’ under the baton of Desmond Waithe and followed this with Bob Marley’s all time greatest hit, ‘No woman no cry.’ They took the tempo up a notch with ‘Columbian medley’ — a perfect set up for the coupe de theatre that was to come next. Desmond Waithe returned to the stage and conducted the band as they accompanied soprano, Renee Solomon in a thrilling vocal and steel treat of the Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli Golden Globe Award winning Song, ‘The Prayer,’ which drew sustained applause from the appreciative audience that included Member of Parliament for Laventille West, NiLeung Hypolite and master artist, Leroi Clarke. The band then closed with its 2003, Pan in the 21st Century winning arrangement of Joey Lewis’, Pint of Wine, which, for the first time that evening, saw patrons abandon their seats to dance in the aisles.The show, produced by the Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation, featured eight of the best steel orchestras in Trinidad and Tobago and got off the ground promptly at the 7:00 PM scheduled start time. The rejuvenated, Solo Harmonites got things going with a splendid performance before a decent sized audience that grew to near full capacity as the show progressed and included the President of the Senate, Senator the Honorable Danny Montano and his wife who were there for part of the show. Harmonites was followed on stage by the pride of Laventille, WITCO Desperadoes. The southland was represented next by TCL Skiffle Bunch, delivering - like all of the orchestras that evening - a diverse repertoire including their 2009, Pan in the 21st Century winning selection, ‘Georgia on my Mind’.The event was a very well put together affair (notwithstanding the hot drinks in the bar) and the Laventille Steelband Festival Foundation is to be commended, especially for their thoughtful gesture of presenting each female patron with a rose in commemoration of Mother’s Day, celebrated the following day. Two stages were used so that there were no gaps between appearances — as one band performed, the next was able to set up behind a drawn curtain. Pan fans were thus treated to their fill of pan music for just over six hours, before the show ended shortly after 1:00AM. BY then they had heard from the likes of Caribbean Airlines Invaders, Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars — whose signature tune, ‘Woman on the Bass’ also had patrons dancing in the isle and on the perimeter. Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove, and reigning National Panorama champions, PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars were the final acts during which they each played a shortened set before engaging each other in a shoot-out.

[Val Serrant]

Excellent! Concerts like this,AT LEAST Twice Monthly..Throughout T&T,would be a Blessing! Keep Up! Ase!!!

[Hugh Haydn Anthony]

Great Show yes, but the Bar arrangements were horrible