The problem of the night was traffic. Otherwise it was clear sailing.
Friday night saw a line of cars at the foot of Polyburg trying to decide how to proceed, having been directed by a police officer to exit down Lover's Lane. Amazing how many people opted to live in Old Hospital Ground. According to the traffic officer, the drivers simply failed to get the word and were confused.
Just over Polyburg there was another police barricade, leaving the only alternative the high road in Old Hospital Ground. Pandemonium. Solid line of cars. An officer was good-naturally attempting to get things going. Parked cars in front of houses built to the street and two lanes of traffic on what appears to be a 20-foot-wide road does not work.
By 6:30 p.m. the road next to Lionel Roberts Stadium was filled with people waving tickets and pushing to get in. Nothing violent, just good-time anxious. Ushers admitting ticket holders three and four at a time. Not fast enough to keep up with newcomers joining the ever-lengthening queue.
Inside the stadium, a fete. Northside of the stadium solid with food venders. Lechon, chicken, roti and almost anything West Indian is available. Water a big-time seller. Maybe it's the salt in the lechon.
Seven p.m. and the "Bad" appears for the warmup. He is accompanied by Jay Anthony Brown and Big Boy. J.A. Brown worked the Tom Joyner show from 6 to 10 Friday morning. The man never stops. Big Boy is a DJ from Los Angeles and a mountain of flesh. He is a Myocardial Infarct looking for a place to happen. Fortunately St. Thomas EMTs are in the crowd and on alert.
A Tanqueray beach balls sail into the crowd. There is obviously a serious party going on.
A bit of a damper comes on when the Pay-Per-View director informs the audience how much he loves them and their still cameras, but he warns one and all that any video camera in operation will be confiscated. Pay-Per-View is busy protecting their investment.
At 9 p.m. Sinbad enters the stage with his son and friends for the first skit. It is show time. Again, family is in there. The kids are the epitome of cool as the Soul Man does his thing.
In the pit, they begin to confiscate the media photographers' digital cameras because they have video screens for preview and afterview. About five minutes into the program, the local media is ejected from the pit. Pay-Per-View brooks no competition.
Pay-per-View appears to have two long-range cameras, two middle range, one boom on tracks, one on pit-right and another on pit-left, and one on stage-right and another on stage-left. Will they produce a good product? They have no excuse!
Moving through the crowd, many things became apparent. Lionel Roberts Stadium was the right venue. The Virgin Islands was the right location. Thousands of visitors and locals were having an absolutely wonderful time.
The sound in the covered seats is excellent, although the view is like looking at a postage stamp in motion. As time wears on, however, more and more people opt for the seats. The elderly and moms with small children simply are not stand-up groupies.
By 9 p.m. the Stylistics are crooning their easy tunes of yesteryear, the stadium grounds are full of standing people swaying back and forth with the music, and three-fourths of the bleachers are packed.
The picture is of the stadium from Skyline Drive. A square of light and color, shimmering in the night.
The weather is absolutely right, the moon is a perfect blue-gray orb, the music has stood the test of time and the crowd is in the groove, simpatico. There is no question: Sinbad, the master entertainer, has brought it together.
