All Stars Align to Put on two Big Shows

We visited the All Stars and Big Show Calypso Tents on Sunday June 23rd and Saturday June 29th respectively. We  had a marvelous time at both shows. This was my first time ever attending calypso tents🙈but it was certainly not my last. Here is what I liked and didn't like about both tents.

Emcees

All Stars: The emcees were Jennifer Wallcott and Queen Archibald Cox, both very experienced and well loved. They were a great accompaniment to the performances, with jokes so funny we took literal notes so we could share. They carried the show along well, encouraging audience participation. Overall an excellent job was done.

Big Show: The emcee this time around was Mac Fingall, another well experienced and loved performer. Again, he carried the show well, and was a great complement to the performances of the calypsonians. There was a wealth of fun audience participation once again, and a plethora of extremely funny jokes. For me, there was one joke which I considered bordering on homophobic, which was uncomfortable for me. However, overall I would say he was an excellent emcee.

My Favourite Song of the Night

All Stars: This was difficult for me to choose. There were so many great performances on the night. I must give special mention to Jude Clarke, who opened the show with a very high energy performance of Bajan Praize, and set the tone for a great night out. Another favourite of mine was Shawnicle, who gave an excellent performance of the song Cradle Milkshake. However, my favourite of the night was De Announcer with the song Reading for Pleasure. This song was not only topical, but funny, as is the case with any good social commentary. 

Big Show: There were also some good performances here. Unfortunately I cannot remember all the song names. I loved the presentations of AC, J-Slo, Mr Blood, Classic, Marvay and Chrystal Cummins Beckles. However, my favourite of the night was Edwin Yearwood. Poised yet passionate, his song, a plea to end the violence, struck an emotional chord with the entire audience.

My Least Favourite Song of the Night

All Stars: There was one song that really did not resonate with me. I feel terrible for not remembering the artist or the song name. I do remember that it was a song against the decriminilisation of Marijuana because the singer views the drug as evil and responsible for car accidents and violence. Besides the fact that I disagree with the message, the delivery itself was not strong either. 

Big Show: I don't think there was really any performance I did not enjoy at the Big Show if I am totally honest. 

The Best Moment of the Night for Me

All Stars: My favourite moment was Ras Iley's rendition of his song Legalise Marijuana. He put on an extremely energetic show, displaying his long locs. He then gave the audience a well researched and informative lesson in the benefits of marijuana, and the impact of big business on the small farmer. 

Big Show: For me the best part of the night was The Mighty Grynner performing after being honoured earlier that day with the renaming of the highway. Putting on a show of his own, with one of my favourite old soca songs Leggo I Hand, this was the best possible culmination to a great night.

The Worst Part of the Experience

All Stars: This was not exactly a bad part of the experience for me personally. However, my main criticism is that the only accepted method of payment was cash. With so many other options on the market, and being sponsored by Cave Shepherd, which has one of the best options for cashless transactions, I was disappointed that this was not available. 

Big Show: I have the same criticism here. In addition to only accepting cash, however, they also implemented a ticketing system for food and drinks. With only a 20 minute intermission, this made it a long wait to buy tickets and then get the food and drinks. I would not say the food was worth the wait either. I avoided the tiny chicken wings because I did not want dirty fingers, but ended up with very greasy fingers from the unpalatable fishcakes. 

Will I be Going Again?

While there were some low points, it was an overall wonderful experience in both tents for me. As I am growing older, the party scene is less and less appealing. This will definitely not be my last experience in the calypso tents. I will definitely try to visit some more next Crop Over.