Kartel the 'Stand Out' at Bold concert

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

THE HUNDREDS of persons who came out to the Red Stripe Bold 'Stand Out' free concert held on Knutsford Boulevard on Saturday night were treated to hours of fun and non-stop energy from some of Jamaica's top disc jockeys and artistes.

However, the night seemed to belong to Adidja Palmer, as in true dancehall fashion he stole the show and demonstrated why he is touted a dancehall legend.

Other dancehall heavyweights such as Lady Saw, Cham and Bounty Killer, who performed earlier, all did good sets, but in the end Vybz Kartel was the last man standing on the stage and he delivered to the multitude of fans that stood in the pouring rain during the performances, an energetic, hit-filled set.

Firework streamers from the top of the stage ushered in the self-proclaimed 'dancehall hero', and at the sound of "Oh! Awoh!", the crowd let out ear-splitting screams.

With Portmore Empire frontmen, Notnice and Pimpin at the turntables, he was a man on a mission to please the ladies, as he sang a number of songs for them, including Betta Can Wuk, Beg Yuh A Touch, Virginity and Know Bout Me.

One female fan jumped on stage upon hearing Dumpa Truck, and The Teacha decided to give her a lesson in wining, but she schooled him as he went crashing to the ground.

Before going into the billboard-charting Rampin' Shop, he asked the ladies to put hands in the air, look to the sky and sing along, and they did.

He even injected a bit of comedy in his set before going into Pure Love Mi Gi Gyal, saying, "The ladies are for me, I will never beat them wid a hammer in dem head," with a wide grin on his face.

Popcaan and Shawn Storm made a quick appearance onstage, performing their songs Gangster City and My Life.

Tarrus Riley and I-Octane also made a good showing during the earlier performances of the night.

Intense act from lady saw

Lady Saw entertained the large crowd with her hits such as Chat To Mi Back, Beg Yuh Some Money Nuh and Wah Dem A Study.

Her performance got so intense that the queen of the dancehall had to resort to taking off her wig and shoes onstage in order to rock the crowd. I've Got Your Man had the ladies singing along with undying attitude.

Cham was up next, to much applause from the crowd.

Working the stage well, and performing hits such as Ghetto Story, Vitamin S and This Is Why I'm Hot, which all connected well with the crowd. He was joined onstage by Bounty Killer. The two then gave a commanding performance and delivered a solid tune-for-tune performance of long-time hits and closed with their recent collaborative effort, Stronger.

The two left the stage making way for Vybz Kartel.

After the almost half-hour performance, Vybz Kartel left the stage and retreated to his backstage tent.

That move resulted in mayhem, as zealous fans crowded the tent in order to get an autograph, take a picture with or to simply meet with the artiste.

In an effort to escape them and avoid harm, he had to run for some distance to where his car was parked in the SportsMax Zone's parking lot.

Even when in his car, the crowd had him surrounded; they were truly excited. Luckily, members of his entourage were able to clear the way for him to speed off into the night and to safety.