Jamaica's best rocks Miami

Shereita Grizzle • Gleaner Writer

Miami may have been the host city, but there was a complete Caribbean musical takeover on Memorial Weekend 2014 in the United States.

Held at the Bayfront Park on Biscayne Boulevard on Sunday, the eighth annual Best of the Best concert was nothing short of spectacular. The concert promised 100 per cent Caribbean entertainment and, with some of the biggest names from the region on the line-up, did not disappoint.

The best of reggae, dancehall and soca was showcased from start to end. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., the earlier acts prepared the crowd for what was to come. Among those early performers were K-Coneil and Noah D Power, who had the audience entertained with their reggae and dancehall tracks.

At approximately 4:10 p.m., as the crowd swelled to fill the large venue, Tifa graced the stage. Putting in a brief but good set, the Spell it Out deejay opened her set with Dash Out, before going into her wifey/matey tracks. That out of the way, Tifa then took the audience on a trip down memory lane with a few of her earlier hits.

Tifa made way for brothers GBM Nutron and Shal Marshall, who kick-started the soca segment. They were followed by Edwin Yearwood, who added to the wining momentum before making way for the queen of bacchanal, Destra. In her usual energetic fashion, Destra took south Florida to Carnival with a slew of hits, including Party Animal. Following in her soca footsteps, Bunji Garlin amped up the energy even further.

Reggae was the next genre on display with its princess, Etana. Performing songs such as Wrong Address and I Am Not Afraid, Etana thrilled the audience with her customarily smooth vocals before making way for Singing Melody.

It was now on to the veterans, who proved why they have survived in the business of music as long as they have. Cocoa Tea and Barrington Levy both put on superb performances and had the crowd in a nostalgic mood.

However it was a Beres Hammond night, as he put on a one-hour performance this year's Best of the Best patrons won't soon forget. The seasoned performer fed off the crowd's energy while delivering some of his most popular songs. Among them were Feel Good, Can You Play Some More, Rockaway and They Gonna Talk. At the end of Hammond's set the crowd was screaming for more.

Other performances at the eighth Best of the Best concert came from Tarrus Riley, Chronixx, Agent Sasco, and Beenie Man.