Ne-Yo’s song repertoire and his dance moves kept the audience mesmerized. nights have become one of the most anticipated Jazz shows out of the extensive festival. The Friday event has featured Amy Winehouse in 2009 and Air Supply and Michael Bolton in 2008. A number of other notable performers have graced the Friday night Jazz stage and in 2010, organizers of the Jazz festival took things to another level adding R&B singer Ne-Yo to the line-up. The show on Friday, May 8 also featured Haitian Compas music band T-Vice, St Lucian entertainer Teddyson John and Reggae/R&B sisters, Brick and Lace.
Teddyson John hit the stage first and presented his new catchy Reggae tune, “African Woman,” then the singer switched things up and gave the jazzy crowd a carnival introduction with hits like, “Wine Up On Me” and “Whine If Yuh Whinin.”
It was pure ‘bacchanal’— rags and all—as people who’d no doubt spent hours getting ready for Jazz let loose and took in all the pre-carnival entertainment Teddyson provided. When the crowd was sufficiently riled up, Teddyson introduced Brick and Lace to the stage and the duo rendered “Love is Wicked,” “Bad To Di Bone” and more.
T-Vice was up next and the Haitian band had the crowd up and dancing as they used the Creole connection to reach out to St Lucians in the audience. T-Vice’s was a truly energetic performance. After T-Vice and side stage entertainment that included a party session with local DJ’s, the crowd was thick at the stage front. It was time for the star of the show.
No one dared to move from their spots—not even to go to the bathroom as stage management personnel set up for Ne-Yo’s performance. Competition was fierce for the front row and the excitement began building way before the R&B star came on stage. Fans started singing Ne-Yo songs and at least three separate “Ne-Yo” chants started up in the moments before the artiste hit the stage. The crowd went crazy at every sound check and even more so at every sight of anyone who crossed the stage.
The wait must have been at most 20 minutes, and there was side stage entertainment the entire time, but in those moments, die-hard Ne-Yo fans were on their own roller coaster of emotions and went from smiles, laughter and screams, to tears filled with excitement.
Some girls could be heard asking the security guards that stood behind a roped barrier whether they’d really be able to prevent them from jumping onto the stage. To the credit of the organizers, the stage was high enough to make anyone think twice before attempting to do so.
When Ne-Yo finally came on those ropes proved useless against girls who’s mission of the night was to hold touch any part of the star. Ne-Yo, backed up by the D Boys started his St Lucia Jazz performance with “Because of You,” with the lyrics, “Want it but I can’t help it, I love the way you feel, just got me stuck between my fantasy and what is real.”
Ne-Yo was onstage and larger than life and fans couldn’t get enough. His dance moves were smooth, vocals sultry but at the stage front, love turned slightly sour for some. It was a great task to get up close to get the best of Ne-Yo’s performance. Even some who’d come early to secure their front row spots winded up somewhere in the middle of the crowd.
Despite the melee, negative feelings didn’t last long. Every time Ne-Yo made his way to the stage front, fans melted. It was impossible to stay mad at the singer and his irresistible way of making eye contact with his audience. Additionally, Ne-Yo presented several of the audience members with long stemmed red roses as part of his performance.
Ne-Yo’s performance included “When You’re Mad,” “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “She Got Her Own,” “Go On Girl,” “Closer,” “Part of the List,” “Miss Independent” and more. Miss Independent was dedicated to “Ladies who want a man, but don’t necessarily need one,” according to Ne-Yo.
In the performance that was worth every dollar, Ne-Yo, who’s also a songwriter, sang songs he’d written, including Mario’s “Let Me Love You,” Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight” and “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce. He played on the Caribbean connection with Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.” Much like in past concerts Ne-Yo and the D Boys paid tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Not surprising since many of today’s performers credit Jackson as their biggest influence. Ne-Yo busted out a few signature moves and even tried the moonwalk—not as good as the original but he gets and ‘A’ for effort.
Ne-Yo left the stage with a flick of his hat, throwing it into the audience and sending fans diving into the crowd./p>
