13th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival

By Esther Lawrence

The Caribbean island of St. Kitts is locally known as “Sugarcity” and oh how sweet it is! St. Kitts is so sweet that each year on the last weekend in June, folks travel from great distances to experience a rich assemblage of artists from various cultures and genres of music.

Started by the St. Kitts government in 1996 to promote tourism during the quiet summer months, the festival has seen past performances by Chaka Khan, Peabo Bryson, Shirley Caesar, David Rudder, Machel Montano & Xtatik, Square One, Jam Band and Beenie Man. It also bears mentioning that the likes of Burning Flames, Chante Moore, KC & Jo Jo, Yolanda Adams, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, have graced this Kittitian stage.

This year, the line up for the St. Kitts Music Festival included artists such as Beres Hammond, Burning Spear, Stephen Marley, Odisi Band, Ziggy Rankin, Edwin Yearwood, Iwer George, Lightz Out Band, The Grand Masters, Mavado, Lord Nelson, King Konris, Biggie Irie, Regina Belle, T-Pain, Hans and the Hillbillies, KC and the Sunshine Band. What a line-up!

This Music Festival is a unique blend of culture and music designed to stimulate the senses and satisfy the soul. It also presents an excellent opportunity to vacation on one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands. The beaches, the island tours, the catamaran cruises, the visits to Nevis, all combine to make St. Kitts an unforgettable vacation destination.

The St. Kitts Music Festival, in its 13th year, was again held at the outdoor Warner Park Stadium in the town of Basseterre. This stadium was one of the hosts to the 2007 Cricket World Cup and allows for vendors to set up and sell food, drinks, clothing, souvenirs, etc. There were various vendors selling local wares and of course the every popular goat water (soup), conch soup, chicken & chips barbecued ribs, rice & peas and stewed chicken.

The weather was also on its best behavior. The skies were clear and the warm island breeze blew all night long.
The festival kicked off with a strong opening performance by the local, up and coming Lightz Out Band. Thursday night is known as Jump Up night because you mostly hear from the soca and calypso artists. Folks had their rags, flags, sneakers and shorts and were ready to whine down low!

The local band and road march champs Grandmasters, had the crowd going wild to hits like “Bust You Bubble” and “Vibrator”. In addition, Edwin Yearwood, Iwer George and old school calypsonian Lord Nelson were great crowd pleasers. Iwer George of Trinidad did his signature “Iwer, Butterfly, Shadow and Wave” song and dance. The 77-year old Lord Nelson dressed to the nines in a salmon pink suit, showed us that he still has lots of moves and gyration left in him. Edwin Yearwood of the Bajan band Krosfyah gave an excellent performance singing hits like “Sak Passe” and “Pump Me Up”. The biggest performance of the night came when Jamaican dancehall artist Mavado took the stage. It seemed as though many of those in attendance came just to see and hear him perform. And he did not disappoint.

During intermission, folks could watch the big screen showing videos and advertisements for other festivals in the Caribbean. If you were caught doing something naughty on camera, all and sundry would see it displayed on the Jumbo-Tron screen. Needless to say, it was hilarious!

Friday night was reggae night which brought us the legendary performer Beres Hammond who had the crowd rocking and feeling good to his greatest hits like “Rockaway” and “I Feel Good”. Stephen Marley, son of legendary reggae icon, Bob Marley, gave an irie performance singing hits of his own as well as hits from his father’s era. Burning Spear closed out the night with an extended performance that attracted and entertained a huge Rastafarian contingent.

Saturday night was a mixture of performances by Hans and the Hillbillies who wowed the crowd with their energy, KC and the Sunshine Band performed disco hits like “Shake, Shake, Shake” and “I’m Your Boogie Man”, Regina Belle slowed down the tempo with hits like “Make it Like it was” and “A Whole New World”. The crowd went crazy over T-Pain as he performed hit after hit and showed us some of his dance moves! The crowd was left wanting for more T-Pain but was overall satisfied with the performance.

Each night the artists paid tribute to the late great pop icon Michael Jackson by singing one of his songs or having a moment of silence. It was a moving gesture on the part of all the musicians in attendance at the festival.

The 13th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival had a fabulous turn out. It was well-organized and the atmosphere was (as they say in the islands) Irie! The Warner Park Stadium is a wonderful location and I look forward to attending again next June. Hope to see you there!

(Esther Lawrence is a contributor to Island Vibes Magazine and writes about Caribbean culture and entertainment. For comments, please feel free to contact her at esther@islandvibesmag.com.)