LADY SAW TOPPED I-OCTANE

Sumfest promoter says more persons waited to see female deejay close show Chairman of Summerfest Productions, Robert Russell, says more persons stayed for Lady Saw’s closing performance at Reggae Sumfest than I-Octane’s debut in 2013 and his follow-up in 2014. According to Russell, not many dancehall acts have managed to hold the audience on Dancehall Night like Lady Saw. Closing act Russell believes fans of the festival were excited to see what a female artiste had to offer as the closing act. “In the history of Dancehall Night, I have never seen the entire crowd wait on the closing act as they did for Lady Saw, and they also stayed until the entire performance was over. That too was history. They hadn’t seen her in a while and the anticipation was high … yes, more people did stay to see her than I-Octane,” Russell said. Russell also says with next year’s staging, the organisers will continue to set new standards in reggae/dancehall music. “The decision to make Lady Saw close took a lot of thought, but we had confidence that her popularity would have pulled through. Everybody was happy about her performance and anything is possible for next year. It’s early days, but expect the unexpected,” he said. Reggae Sumfest 2015 also saw performances from Common, Jennifer Hudson, T.I, Spice and Beenie Man. www.jamaica-star.com