THE most anticipated dancehall show of the season, ‘Baderation’, came off without a hitch last Saturday and was very different from the one held in 2022.
Hundreds flocked the Guyana National Stadium to see this year’s headliners: Jamaican singer Jada Kingdom, rising star Byron Messia and the man himself, Alkaline.

The choice to have the event at a bigger venue this year was a smart move on the part of the organisers as they anticipated a much larger crowd. With this larger venue, there were many noticeable differences in the set-up which showed that organisers learned from the mistakes that were made last year.
Some of the new features included having separate entrances for the General and VIP sections, greater separation between the sections and a heightened security presence at the venue.

As the show began, the first international act, Jada Kingdom wearing a mini skirt, matching top and teddy bear shaped backpack, emerged onto the stage singing, “Which Gyal freestyle”.
As she made her way through her list of songs, which included hits like, “GPP” and “Feelings” she captivated the crowd with her dance moves as she sang the lyrics, “It ah shake” while the ladies in the crowd sang along word for word.
Jada then made way for rising dancehall star, Byron Messia, who burst onto the stage to the backing track of his hit song, “Talibans” which patrons sang all on their own for his entrance.

The large audience knew the words to all his hits and sang along with him as he kept the crowd entertained. He made use of the entire stage even at points stepping down onto the speaker boxes and giving fans in the VIP section an opportunity to sing on the mic.
As the morning progressed, there was a brief break period to allow the DJs for headliner Alkaline to setup to come on stage.
During this time, the DJs paused for a moment to remember the victims of the Mahdia fire and played the song, “We Are the World” to express their sadness and to pay tribute to those who had perished. The stage lights were dimmed and the DJs asked patrons to put their phone lights up.

A sea of lights filled the air as the crowd turned into a choir to belt out the lyrics.
In keeping with this sombre tone, the man himself, Alkaline hit the stage just around 02:30 hours to his 2015 hit, “Gone Away” and he paused to say, “Mi sing da song ya fi all ah who lose somebody.”

As the dancehall artiste made his way through his set, it was a nostalgic moment for many of the patrons.
His lengthy set featured hits like “How it Feel,” “Spoil yuh” and “Ocean Wave” just to name a few.
Alkaline’s stage presence was captivating; however, the song that seemed to get the biggest crowd reaction was the 2013 hit “Live Life”. The crowd again became a choir to belt out the lyrics, “Low me mek me live me life!”
As he left the stage about 03:10 hours, the show ended with no incidents, proving that organisers were keen on not having a repeat of the 2022 experience.