Divas Dissed

Well you know this is sweet Trinidad and Tobago and no event occurs without a heaping dose of bacchanal. With all the hype surrounding Jazz festival one would have thought patrons shelling out big bucks would have gotten their money's worth of BIG stars. Alas, that was not the case on Saturday night; according to reports by the Trinidad Guardian seems like Destra was the biggest Diva of them all, overstaying her alloted time on stage to the detriment of the many fans waiting to see Diana Ross, Mary J Blige and Gladys Knight.

Diana Ross left the Plymouth Jazz Festival and Tobago an extremely angry woman, complaining bitterly and loudly that she had never been asked to cut short her performance at any time in her 48-year career.

But before she left these shores, her last song was—I will survive.

While her fans were upside down shouting and screaming: “Diana, we love you,” Ross came from backstage where she had just changed her red gown to another in white, and announced she was asked to leave the stage.

“Apparently, opening acts were too long. I’m being kicked out the stage,” the legendary Motown singer said and then sang her last song of the night—I will survive.

The audience briefly booed when she finally left the stage.

Sources told the Guardian that local soca diva Destra sang too long and this may have added to problems, since the show started about one hour and 20 minutes late.

Now I suppose the organizers of Jazz festival have a big part to play in this as well, could they have not ushered off Ms. Destra when her time was up the same way they did Diana Ross? This is the third year running for the Jazz festival and you would think after having the brilliant idea to jack up prices that they would also jack up the management of the event. And it is not that I am not in favour of supporting our local artiste , but Destra was not the star billing of the night, she was merely the opening act! Could you imagine if the same thing was done with Elton John replacing Destra with Machel Montano? Trinidad and Tobago would have been ridiculed on VH1's Best Week ever a third time straight, especially coming after the controversy surrounding Elton John's performance.

No matter how much we love out local talent, the 50,000 plus patrons who visited Tobago over the weekend did not fly and ferry over to the sister isle to see Machel and Destra. I mean we saw MORE than enough of them for Carnival already, though it was nice to include our local acts in the Jazz lineup! Diana Ross, legend extraordinarie unceremoniously kicked off the stage at Jazz, imagine that! Of course all the newspapers are reporting that she was hopping mad, and no one could blame the Diva at all.

So it is with much embarrassment that I read this on Today's Guardian:

Even though the headline is pure sensationalism it is out there for the international community to read about the way Diana Ross was treated at Jazz festival in Tobago! I cannot wait to hear all the stories about what really went down from my mother as well as friends who came from other islands just for Jazz.

Sometimes I have to wonder why can't these "organizers" just get it together and for once have an event where everything goes off with as little problems as possible. Maybe they should look into hiring an event management team from TRIBE and Island People (the party outfit) for next year's Jazz festival! After all ONE Fete, Bliss and Blue Range were well managed and Island People has been involved in several events such as the TIDCO food festival with great success. And I thought only Carnival was bacchanal!

Jazz this weekend

Call me biased but I do think the performer billing for Tobago Jazz festival is the best of the region. Barbados' Jazz festival boasted Anita Baker, the upcoming St. Lucia Jazz festival in May headlines Natalie Cole and Al Jarreau while Tobago couped Diana Ross, Heather Headly, Mary J Blige, Gladys Knight and Elton John. Of course the bigger stars means bigger prices; compared to Barbados Jazz festival with prices ranging between $30.00 to $100.00US, St. Lucia Jazz at $40.00 to $70.00 US Tobago prices are not cheap! Tickets for Tobago are $90.00, $125.00 and $150.00US with even higher prices for the exclusive V.I.P. section.

So popular is the Tobago Jazz festival this year accommodation has been booked solid for months and both flights and ferry to the sister island are sold out, with some ingenious , and clearly wealthy, persons resorting to purchasing air fare to Tobago from Trinidad via Barbados! As for tickets to the show all V.I.P. tickets were finished weeks ago; this is truly one of the biggest events to be hosted in Tobago in recent history.

You would think, therefore , that the organisers of the event knowing that the Jazz festival is highly anticipated to be a success even amid controversy surrounding Elton John's performance with protests from Christian groups in Tobago and with higher ticket prices that patrons would be above and beyond satisfied. Well, it seems to me, and many persons attending the Jazz festival this year including my mother and her friends, that the promoters are milking the fact that they have star power by milking patrons!

The following advertisement appeared in the newspapers recently highlighting the "rules an regulations" for Tobago Jazz:

Now I can understand the rules against filming the performance, I think it is a standard in concerts worldwide that patrons are not encouraged to film the artiste as usually some Television station pays for the rights to broadcast said event.But I cannot fathom why after paying close to $1000.00TT that ticket holders to the Jazz festival are not allowed to bring their own coolers OR their own chairs and will be forced to pay an additional fee of $20.00 to RENT chairs!

It seems to be a rule unique to Tobago Jazz as St Lucia Jazz festival has no ruling against bringing your own cooler or chairs to the event:

Rules of St. Lucia Jazz
Please note that the following rules are applicable to Pigeon Island National Landmark and the Mindoo Phillip Park.

1. No breakable bottles are allowed at all St. Lucia Jazz venues. All drinks in breakable bottles must be transferred to plastic bottles. All coolers will be searched.

2. Only coolers measuring 36" x 24" (3'x 2') or smaller will be permitted into the Pigeon Island National Landmark. Any cooler in excess of this size will not be permitted inside the grounds.

3. All drinks with stoppers must be properly disposed.

4. No smoking is allowed at the Pigeon Island National Landmark, except in the Benson & Hedges Smoking Area. Please note signage indicating area.

5. No unauthorized filming is permitted at all St. Lucia Jazz venues.

SOURCE: www.stluciajazz.org

Personally I will not be attending the Jazz Festival this year. Though the lineup is really good and the Saturday night would have been my night of choice, after deliberating on wether to go or not and finally deciding not to fight the crowds and mele in Tobago turns out is was a great decision as I will not be able to go this weekend after all, even if I wanted to. I do know quite a few people who are going and I have been listening to their grumbling over these new "rules" and have to agree that it is such a silly ruling over petty things such as chairs and coolers. The whole vibe of Jazz festival from the islands that have been hosting it for years is a really cool picnic in the park where you enjoy some great performers and a really good lime. And I do not like the fact that in spite of the high prices patrons will now have to fork over more money for basics like a seat and a cold drink.

Knowing Trinis, who sneaked alcohol into Cricket World Cup in ziploc bags and sunblock bottles, I know they will find a way to carry their drinks into the venue and not pay the inflated prices on the night of the show. But is really is a low blow by the promoters of Jazz festival to reveal these rules only weeks before the event and I hope all those who are going to Jazz boycott the chair rentals and set up a nice blanket on the grass to enjoy the show!

Jazz !!

So, it's the 1st of March and you have to be living under a rock to not know that Tobago Jazz Festival will be held in Plymouth from April 27th to 29th. This year will be the third installment of the Jazz Festival, and when the inaugural year made it's debut I was quite happy to have a Jazz festival "close to home" seeing as the other two popular Jazz Festivals are held in Barbados and St. Lucia. Sorry to say I have yet to attended the Jazz Festival, you know that saying "closer to church further from God" well that applies to my current relationship with the sister Island of Tobago.

I have been visiting Tobago before I could speak so as a vacation destination for me it has peaked ages ago. And with the large influx of Trinis on holiday long weekends I end up avoiding going to Tobago altogether as the crowds make it even less appealing. Hence the reason I have also avoided Jazz Festival. This year however I am hoping to attend the Jazz festival finally. Credit has to go to my mom who booked accommodation months ago and has guilted me into going to Tobago as the last time I visited was in February 2004!

Let me just say I am not thrilled by this year's headliner as I am not an Elton John fan so the one night I will go is the Saturday. The line up for performers is as follows:

FRIDAY - L.L. Cool J, Sean Paul
Price: $90.00US, $120.00US V.I.P.

SATURDAY - Beres Hammond, Diana Ross, Heather Headly,Gladys Knight, Mary J Blige,
Price: $125.00US, $155.00US V.I.P.

SUNDAY - Elton John, Al Green, Earth Wind and Fire
Price: $150.00US, $180.00US V.I.P.

V.I.P. tickets included alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, special entrance and closer proximity to the stage.For more information you can visit the website.