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Event: International Soca Monarch 2004
Date: Friday 20th February, 2004
Location: PSA Grounds
Organiser: Caribbean Prestige Promotions
Start Time: 7:00pm
Telecast Start time: promptly at 11:00pm
Well, it is Trinidad I suppose. But TV6 advertised the show as starting at 9:30pm.
Many people got fed up of waiting at 10:30pm and just went to bed. Others just laughed
and waited and waited...A courtesy announcement came about 15 minutes before the telecast
began saying the show had been delayed with no other explanation.
It was as international as it could get (at this stage) with live webcast on Tidco's website and
apparently broadcast on American cable channel BET but many fans think the show was lacklustre
especially when compared to the 2003 show.
Most of the performances were nothing special so it's no wonder Bunji stole
the show with his fireworks glove, freestlying lyrics and the dragon.
Some artists just had too many people 'props' onstage with them so they got lost in the crowd.
Other artists kept trying to get the masses to move from one side of the grounds
to the next but clearly this crowd had no such intentions
and I think it would have served the artists well to watch each other perform
so they know in what state of mind is the audience.
It would also do the artists well to remember that they have come to
sing the songs that people have been hearing on the radio in the way
it has been arranged and it actually detracts from enjoyment of the song
and the performance when they come and do something entirely different.
The stage set-up left much to be desired (one could see the wooden plank that
artists had to avoid while onstage--come on people!)
Even the TV6 announcers couldn't get the names of the artists right,
announcing the wrong person because there was an apparent mix up or
maybe because the artists hadn't arrived yet, we still do not know why that was.
As for the all-inclusiveness: many patrons were unsatisfied-- perhaps they should
stick to selling drinks and food. An unconfirmed report states one of the food/drink tents was
flattened by the rush of people. There were too many long lines to get food and drinks.
There was definitely a bottleneck when it came to giving people what they wanted
to satisfy their hunger/thirst. Given the hype surrounding this show, it did not deliver the goods.
The 2005 show has got to exceed all expectations of perfection for the world to take us seriously.
If we are ready for soca to take the world by storm, then please let us show it in every way!
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