– Lisa Punch, ‘Rubber Waist’ Jumo create shockwaves

WHILE folks were still basking in the glory of the ‘Night of Legends’ hosted at the National Stadium last Saturday, they were swept away by the captivating, ‘tropical fiesta’ that engulfed them on Sunday night when they returned to enjoy the ‘Generation Next Concert.’

Yet again the organisers of the Guyana Festival 2014 pulled out all the stops and professionally showcased their talents at planning and executing ‘big time’ entertainment, created specially for patrons of all ages and walks of life.
The ‘fiesta’ began spiralling to heights of excitement even before the artistes came on stage and long before 21:30hrs masses were already seated and swaying to scorching performances from the Heatwave Band’s Jackie Hanover and Calvin Burnette, accentuated by sizzling showcases from the bands ‘Hottie Hottie Dancers.’
With the tone set for a night of scalding ‘soca fire’ the audience gyrated or otherwise enjoyed hits like ‘A little wine nah hurt nobody,’ and many others.
Every act brought a sizzle of their own to the event but it was the New York-based Lisa Punch and home-grown Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo who actually created ‘entertainment shock waves’ when they took to the stage.

Pooran hit the jackpot and remained within the confines of his performing genre as he executed some spicy chutney pieces that certainly gave the crowd the necessary groove. And Rajesh Dubraj kept the kettle boiling when he made a high energy entrance to sweetly rattling tassa drums.
Every hit he performed was met with approval by the festive crowd, and he was quite feisty while adding positive chutney vibes to the occasion.
Then the very curvaceous Abigail James took the stage and certainly taught the Guyanese soca divas about the ‘crazy things dem can do with dem bumpa.’ An avid and talented dancer, James executed some dance moves that caused a few in the audience to copycat her techniques.
Jonathan ‘Lil Red’ King was his spunky self as he belted out ‘Suga Stick Wine,’ ‘Reach she Meetah’ and ‘Pumping Higher.’ His prancing and onstage theatrics certainly added an extra sizzle to the event.
The crowd whooped in delight when Charmaine Blackman made her entrance in one of her customary hilarious costumes. She performed ‘Geh dem moh feh Talk,’ ‘Bad Eye’ and a few other selections that kept the audience entertained.

With the significance of the Guyana Festival in mind, Teneica De Freitas who was down with the flu still opted to perform. Though it was evident that her ailment was affecting her normal honey-toned voice, she managed to finish her act nicely.

LISA PUNCH
Alabama and Vizion Sound’s First Born Group were good when they presented and so were Quace ‘Ace’ Edmondson, but the climax of the event came when the overseas-based Lisa Punch arrived on stage. With loud cheering and joyful exclamation the large crowd gave her a standing ovation as she belted out ‘Wipe Those Tears from Your Eyes,’ a soulful rendition to her mother Nafeiza Daniels.
Some wept joyfully, others screamed her name, and the majority sang along as she created magic with ‘I don’t mind,’ and ‘Secret Admirer,’ an anthem on the lips of almost every Guyanese teenager. Next came ‘So in Love with You,’ a soothing selection, before she turned up the heat with ‘Ah whea de man dem Deh.” During this dancehall piece with Jackie Hanover, the crowd went wilder.
She closed her performance with a cappella performance of Whitney Houston’s ‘How will I know,’ which was actually the song that gave her fame at the ABC’s ‘Rising Star Reality Show.’ She also thanked all Guyana for their continuous support during the ‘Rising Star’ competition.
When she left the stage it was obvious that the large audience had came mostly to see her perform, since they began to leave the venue in large numbers. But then Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo had many of then rushing back into the venue when he brought to the stage a ‘soca inferno’ like never before.
Some waved, others hollered and most of them just danced their lives away as he made them ‘burn out calories’ with his frenzied soca ‘dance instructions.’ He sedated the ladies with powerful vocals, great stage theatrics, and some real virile hip rotation that saw the lust lighting in the eyes of his female fans.
Artiste ‘Genesiz’ was a cool performer, doing ‘Next Time I see You,’ ‘Twerk,’ and a few others. Also adding to the ultimate success of this concert were Solid Youth and Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts who were all excellent performers.

(By Alex Wayne)