I Love Soca, rain and dry - Too much dancehall music for some patrons

Normally, the threat of rain brings certain outdoor events to a halt. But what sets soca apart is that when promoters advertise 'rain or shine', they mean it.

Precipitation did not deter supporters of  the cooler fete I Love Soca; nor did it dismantle the usual high energy of soca partygoers. Last Saturday night, revellers ignored the inclement weather and came out in impressive numbers.

As its name suggests, the event has become a Kingston go-to off-season Carnival event, with a promise of all-night wining, thrusting and waving; and this time came also a promise of rain.

Regardless of the intermittent showers and 'too much dancehall', loyal soca fans flooded the lawns of Sabina Park, Kingston,  armed with their hoodies, flags, umbrellas and coolers stuffer with bottles and ice.

The promoters secured some of the top local deejays in soca music, like DJ Richie Ras, DJ Lantern, and DJ Smoke, as well as top dancehall crew Coppershot. International guest crews were Aaron Fingal and DJ Charlotte, representing for Trinidad, along with Riggo Suave from New York.

Despite utilisation of these well-known disc jockeys and adding international flair, the promise of all-night soca and calypso music fell short.

For this staging, the I Love Soca disc jockeys mishandled a shining opportunity to intensify the excitement of partying to soca music in the rain, by constantly flip-flopping between soca and dancehall sets, much to the consternation of some patrons. Coppershot split their stage time between the two genres, playing soca for the Sabina Park crowd..

Undoubtedly, patrons 'railed' whenever a disc jockey dropped Aidonia's late summer smash Yeah Yeah Yeah or teased Vybz Kartel's latest creeper Mhmm. However, some attendees complained that the disc jockeys were "more concerned with getting a forward than anything."

Another reveller told The STAR that their umbrella went up every time dancehall music played. Some umbrellas came erect when supplementary dancehall segments took over the speakers.