BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE pundits have begun their discussion as to who they feel would progress to the Semi-Final stage of the Senior National Calypso Competition following the first night of Elimination on Saturday (Dec. 8).
The night saw 20 calypsonians taking the stage to vie for selection but one of them was intoxicated and could not perform.
Six of them emerged from the Legends Tent and the first one was Jonty Bobo kicking off the evening with a selection called ‘Little Blackman’.
ACE and Frankie Sly followed with some very strong performances but Rudder, who made a strong impact on last year’s competition with two very strong compositions, drew the biggest applause from the audience with a song called ‘Turn a Blind Eye’, which speaks about his debut in 2011 and was told by his fans what to do when he sees the plight of the poor people.
Competitors from the Proud Sounds Tent were next to showcase their ability, but the show was temporarily marred by the 30-year veteran King Ayatollah who, when called upon to perform, went onstage in a state of intoxication and was unable to register his rendition.
It is still unsure however if he will be able to perform tonight at the second and final night of the eliminations.
Calypsonians from the Grand Masters Tent were next and patrons saw performances coming from De Persuader, Godfrey, King Lala and Pungwa who rounded up the performances with a hard-hitting rendition called ‘Rat Race’.
The remaining calypsonians from Legends Tent then came under the spotlight with Singing Perlene, Forrest and Lady Diva who performed a passionate selection called ‘Calypso Back Stabbers’, which speaks to individuals who ignore the genre and the DJs who only pay attention to the art form around Carnival time.
The show rounded up with the Grand Masters Tent and saw performances from Abba Lively, I-Soursop, Pa-ula and Singing Jackie who performed for the first time with the band.
The curtains came down on the night’s event with the Mighty Take Over who tickled the audience with a powerful performance of his song ‘Pirates Nest’.
The 300-plus audience left the House Nightery generally satisfied with the performances they witnessed. The second segment of the calypso eliminations is expected to take place today (Dec. 9) at 17 Degrees from 5:00 p.m.
