The stage at this year’s Xperience Fete, held at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, in Tarouba, will be a major talking point for many, even as the season continues. Whether the massive ‘Trident’ themed placement could possibly be outdone in this season, is left to be seen. Xperience Fete, held last weekend, was one that saw hundreds of happy fetters, dressed in white, fill the space, as the season of revelry in Trinidad and Tobago, gets underway.
Entertainment, top tier, the sound system appeared to have presented slight challenges to artistes, many of whom seemed to forego actually singing and instead either lip-synced their songs, or hyped the background music. Loud as their tracks were, artistes like GBM Nutron, did their best to engage the crowd, with most of those toward the front of the fete, showing their enjoyment by dancing and responding joyfully to each artiste.
For some time, the topic as to whether fetes will ever return to what they once were in T&T, has been on the table. Less dancing among fetters and more onlooking and recording, remains a concern, but on Sunday morning, big flags showed up and the scene was one of euphoria even amid the air-high phones. Shurwayne Winchester, a true crowd-pleaser brought excellence in performance as usual, and likewise, Patrice Roberts, in her usual sexy attire, wowed the crowd, many singing along to her hits and basking in the thrill of yet another T&T Carnival Xperience that will be remembered for years to come.
The cooler, breakfast inclusive fete featured a number of dynamic soca stars, including Nailah Blackman, Jadel, Nadia Batson, Voice, Anika Berry, Skinny Fabulous, Iwer George and KMC, Bunji and Fay Ann, Raymond Ramnarine, Shal Marshall, Ding Dong, Wadicks, Ravi B, Blaka from Grenada, Full Blown, Lady Lava and the star of season, Yung Bredda.
At the event, in a brief chat with Ebuzztt, relatively new artiste on the soca scene, Wadicks shared his hope for more love among artistes in the Soca industry, lamenting that with hateful attacks among peers, very little is being left for the nation’s youth to learn from. His views came on the heels of two recent public outbursts, among influential entertainers, in the season. Wadicks performed earlier in the morning, before the sun came up, and as usual, he gave it his all, dancing much to the amusement of his female fans.
The event was just what many needed to truly incite the carnival energy. Now, with many major events set to unfold in the coming weekends, fetters from all walks of life are charged with the responsibility of truly fetin’ and showing the world just how incredible Trini Carnival is.
