Babyface thrills anxious fans...despite long wait

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Although the patrons had to wait through an hour-long band change and were getting very weary, all was forgotten when Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds took the stage at the National Indoor Sports Centre, St Andrew, on Saturday evening.

During their wait, some of the patrons clapped at intervals, signalling to the organisers that they wanted the show to continue and were eager to see the man of the night in concert. So impatient they were, that they even clapped while the MC spoke about the sponsors.

Bad start

But when Babyface took the stage in all his glory, not looking much older than he did years ago, everyone seemed to be in awe. However, his first song was inaudible and every word he sang seemed as if it was being drowned out by his powerful band. As his performance progressed, it seemed as if his microphone was turned up and he thrilled the audience with his crisp and clear voice singing Everytime I Close My Eyes and Never Keeping Secrets. During his set, he had both men and women dancing and passionately singing along.

Despite being well over a half-century, Babyface was all over the stage, exerting a lot of energy, dancing, jumping and interacting with his fans. He used up even more energy when he gyrated on stage singing R. Kelly's Bump And Grind, giving the audience some level of laughter. Afterwards, he did a medley of songs including Two Occasions, End Of The Road and When Can I See You Again. As he delivered hit after hit for more than an hour, he had the audience wrapped around his fingers and behaving wild.

But before Babyface, Diana King returned after many years to thrill the audience. She started off singing Ain't Nobody and Treat Her Like A Lady. She jumped after singing an a cappella version of Lies. Then, she sang it with the band and allowed her backup singers to take the forefront.

"It feels good to be here, it's been a long time. But the good news is, I have new music. I am just happy to be here and I thank you all for coming to support this good cause," she said, as she sipped on some wine.

As she did the intro for Shy Guy, the audience got extremely loud and began to sing along, even the men. Then, abruptly she leaves the stage with the audience wanting more. When she returned for an encore, she sang Say A Little Prayer.

At the concert, from which the proceeds will be going to the United Way, there were also performances by Nomaddz who delivered a strong set, Silver Birds giving a taste of several genres and Abdel Wright, who did well but was not given a lot of attention.

Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds had his audience captivated for the duration of his set on stage.