Twenty-two acts delivering pulsating, frenzied performances over three nights marked the 18th anniversary of The St. Kitts Music Festival on June 26 -28. The Festival, held at the Warner Park Football Stadium, featured a kaleidoscope of music giants including Machel Montana, Destra Garcia, Freddie McGregor, Elvis Crespo, Capleton and Tyrese. Originally dubbed the Shak Shak Festival at inception in 1996, this staple on the regional entertainment calendar has grown exponentially in its history and this year welcomed record crowds to the venue.
The Festival has over the years fielded a myriad of musical genres including Soca, Reggae, Dancehall, Zouk, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, Calypso, Gospel and Merengue among others. The diversity of the music on this festival demonstrates a commitment to providing a rounded musical experience by the organisers of the Festival.
With the tempo of the night steadily rising Destra stepped in and whipped patrons in a frenzied session of musical abandon to stamp her mark as an ascending authority in Soca. Machel Montano topped the night with his High Definition, 75 minute delivery of his repertoire of hits. The surprise of the night was Salsa cross over singer, Elvis Crespo who held the attention of the crowd for every minute of his set.
Night two, brought the mello Reggae vibe with Tarrus Riley, Capleton, Beenie Man and Chronixx, who captivated audiences and delivered superb sets with Messages of love and positivity laced in their performances.
Kittitian acts Hi Light, Ashkenaz and the AZ’1 Band kicked off night two on a high note setting the pace for the other acts. Chronixx captivated the audience with his singles Here Comes Trouble and Rastaman Wheel Out.
Tarrus Riley made it a family affair engaging the audience is a sing-along of hits which also included tributes to Buju Banton and the late Reggae great Dennis Brown. King of the Dancehall Beenie Man rekindled his love affair with St Kitts and took patrons through a musical expedition of his expansive catalogue.
The “Fyah Man” Capleton brought down the curtains on night two of the St. Kitts Music Festival.
On the final night, The Paul Peress Project featuring soothing Jazz compilation kicked off the show. Paul Peress accompanied by former lead singer of Chicago, Bill Champlin and the original lead singer of Toto in addition to five time Grammy winner Deniece Williams took patrons down memory lane with a heavy inventory of retro hits.
The Big Ship Captain and Reggae Maestro Freddie McGregor rolled in and launched a musical onslaught of Reggae hits including Big Ship, Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely, and Push Come To Shove.
The musical legend celebrated his birthday a day before his performance and as such was in a celebratory mood.
NBC’s The Voice Winner Tessanne Chin took the baton and proved why she should be among the greats. The Tumbling Down singer renewed the furor from her stint on the talent show with her exquisite vocals and well executed set delivering favorites such as Try and Underneath it all.
Five-time Grammy Award winner, Kelly Rowland, was next and spared no time in connecting with the audience. With agile male dancers in tow Kelly quickly connected with her fans and had patrons actively participating.
The Kittitian Hip Hop artiste SMI brought his flavor of Hip hop which was well received by the crowd. American singer, actor, writer, Tyrese Gibson closed the show in fine style delivering red roses to females and a sizzling performance which left the crowd dazzled.