Fete With The Saints 2024
After all the hype around getting tickets, with people having to pay huge sums and end up in gouti look back, FWTS 2024 was....a hit! Allyuh really expected me to say otherwise??
By now allyuh know we does get there for the gate opening. There was free secured parking at QRC and Tatil with shuttles and paid secured parking at Nelson Mandela (stop the genocide, free Palestine) park. We used the free, secured, close to the venue, parking on d road near the St. Clair police station. Scalpers...sorry, "ticket entrepreneurs" were out in their numbers "buying d extra ticket".
The decor was on fleek as the young people does say (not sure if they still say dat). The entrance had dragons and there was a Mayan theme throughout. We even had a live volcano garçon. I felt like I was on my 2023 Iceland vacation.
As is customary, we went there with we belly in we hand. Every time I go FWTS I am blown away by the size of the main food court and the number of options. The layout was different and the food court seemed bigger than last year. Someone suggested the fete should be two days, one day just for food.
For the civilized people, the vegetarians and vegans, there were lots of options other than eating sides. There was beyond meat sliders and vegan kebabs (no not tofu on a stick). If yuh does eat dead animals there was plenty ting for you too. They had stuffed baby backed ribs, all manner of jerk, bao like whoa, sushi, wantons, salmon, lamb, Chinese food, doubles, roti, wild meat such as Bambi and she mammy and even wild hog.
Speaking of hog....the ladies were on point. Let me tell you....if you see birds. Everyone dress up nice nice, looking delicious like the crab stuffed dumplings and the sweet and sour fish with Singapore noodles.
If food is not your thing well the drink options were out of control. They had drink stations and bars with ample staff everywhere. There was zero wait for drinks and nobody was "chinksing" on how they mix yuh drinks. Scotch, gin, champagne, Hennessey, rum, vodka, wine, everything was premium, even the promo girls. One offered me some concoction and thought telling me it had Campari in it would sweeten the deal. No miss lady...I rather stoop down and drink from the drain in the back.
After Hans and he DJ almost put us to sleep playing what I can only describe as ambience dining music, the performances started with Olatunji. Tunji run on, hit we he big tunes, and ride out faster than J Angel swing back from she retirement.
Motto was next with a spirited, though dated, rendition of his big tunes. My boy Shal Marshall...sorry S Dot or whatever he calling himself now, was next. Apparently Shal had the crowd in front rocking. I know this because the Madame left me and run up to the front to see we boy. He even brought on Kerwin Dubois.
The man who is currently winning Carnival was next to grace the stage. Mical Teja came out to a hero's welcome. The man had the whole place in a vibe.....until he start to ask who feel his song is road march? Nah brudda...doh beg hoss. Begging is for people like...Dest....stop it Tana!
Patrice gave an excellent and emotional performance. From her outfit to her energy to her typically impeccable vocals. Patrice was the CIC fete of CIC fete.
The fete had the usual high society characters. From politicians to corporate VIPs to trini super models to social media influncers to Gary....in he usual tight long sleeve jersey. I don't know who to speak to but double G needs to start hitting the gym or buying loose fitting shirts. Gary belly is the only thing bigger than he mouth.
The heavens opened up and gave the fete its blessing with a light drizzle. The rain wasn't hard enough to soak anyone but apparently it was enough to make the Gremlins in the crowd run for shelter.
Patrick the Hypeman come on and said he had 15 mins...I thought he was going to talk for 14 but he actually run real tunes. I feel somebody did an intervention with him and let him know that less is more because it's two fetes in a row now he has curbed his verbosity.
That same person needs to pull Destra square and say "yo...sing yuh bangers, wine yuh bam bam and get off the stage". This is not yuh talk show. Nobody wants to hear yuh podcast in a fete. Destra came on and "desta-oyed" d fete. The amount of people came up to me and ask me to tell the organizers to do something about the Queen of Bacchanal. Last night she was the Queen of incessant chatter about all kinda ting and at one point blamed the crowd for having no vibes when she was the one drop a leg on we and buss we bladder. Destra was more like Destro the villain from GI Joe.
Nailah graced the stage next and tried her best to recover the momentum lost during the "Destra-uction" but let's be real...it's Nailah. When I thought all was lost with her, Skinny Fabulous run on like Batman to save Gotham.
Lyrikal joined Nailah to sing their big tune and his other hits for the season and the crowd was trying its best to get back the vibe lost in the great winter of Destra. Lyrikal and Skinny sang their banger but I felt both should have had more time instead of Garcia the "Destra-oyer".
We then had a break (did we?? Gin was kicking in by then) before the headline artiste was due on stage. I took the opportunity to hit the food court for the third time and visit the Hendrick's bar for my 15th gin and tonic..."Any drink by the bar gimme plenty". I believe the cumulative effect of those visits resulted in me ending up inebriated and my alleged bad behavior, although I think it was the food.
While eating I heard the main protagonist of FWTS come on the stage. Yup, we boy Kes, the second hottest red man to pass through St. Mary's (guess who's #1) had the ladies in front in a frenzy. Personally I found his performance a little flat but he probably had a Destra-hangover like the rest of us.
At this point the fete got a little blurry for me but from what I'm told, everyone was annoying and everyone except me was acting irrationally as if they were drunk and the whole fete stormed out to our car. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
FWTS again set the bar for premium all-inclusive fetes. Everything felt top notch and people were asking me what's the point of having a VIP when everyone is treated like a VIP. I guess some people doh like to rub shoulders with the good looking vibesy people.
I will admit the vibe was subdued. FWTS is usually two fetes in one when it comes to vibe...the back half where you stand up and casually dance and jam, and the front half where it's a sweaty back, "I now land from Brooklyn and going back Monday" kind of vibe. The fete never recovered from Destra's performance though and that's a shame.
However, I had a time and I go be back again and again and again.
TANA