It was a smart idea for Carnival organisers to include a show bringing together artists from the different Caribbean islands. Now in its third year, the recently-held Caribbean Melting Pot is an initiative by the Carnival Development Committee (CDC). Past performers include Trinidad’s Machel Montano, Destra and Shadow, St. Lucian Ricky T and Jamaica’s own Dr. Evil. Given the state of the economy and the CDC’s budget being cut by half, patrons greeted the evening with apprehension, but the CDC emphatically promised Carnival-goers that previous standards would be kept.

Still, the final reviews on the Melting Pot 2009 edition have been mixed. The songs were at their highest standard in comparison to previous years and the artists and producers must be commended for thir contributions, yet the atmosphere was described as lacklustre, not the least attributed to the unconvincing performances of several artists. Overall, the general consensus was that given the financial hurdles involved with staging the show it was relatively successful. Also, your final impression depended on the popularity of the different genres presented. It is a known fact that when it’s Carnival in Antigua, soca is king. Reggae, dancehall and other types of music usually take a backseat to the soca vibe. Case in point, when Jamaican artist Demarco hit the stage, he ordinarily would have had the crowd revved up and begging for more, but not on this night judging from the polite applause following his performance.

Local artists Final Drive, Tonic, and Lejah bands also tried their best to get the crowd going, providing backup for such performers as Jashan Hughes, Lion King, Promise, Shani, Byke, and 3Pac. Vincy crossover artist Kevin Little also tried to motivate patrons, and though he gave a solid performance the audience failed to respond. Tobagonian Calypso legend Lord Nelson schooled all the young artists present on longevity in the industry as the 78-year-old moved and sang like an artist a quarter of his age.

The Dominican band WCK rocked the crowd with their mixture of soca and zouk; as witnessed by the Dominica flags waving as the group jammed onstage. Tizzy and The El-A-Kru, who arguably have the best stage performance right now in Antigua, proved that hard work always pays off. The crowd finally jammed and wined as Tizzy enticed everyone present to love Carnival, ‘the greatest show on earth’.

The evening was brought to a close in grand style by Shurwayne Winchester, whose performance was the icing on the cake for soca lovers. Belting out tunes that Carnival devotees have grown to love, Winchester had fans leaving the grounds wet with sweat and still in a daze.

The CDC should take the good and the bad from the evening’s events and start planning for 2010 to ensure a better flow of performances and fewer unnecessary breaks. Melting Pot has earned its spot in Carnival and will hopefully be around for many years to come. Its all-important goal to highlight our Caribbean similarities and not our island differences is a definite benefit to the region.

LINISA George is a featured freelance writer for 365antigua.com and be contacted at: writer@365antigua.com