Entertainment

'Good friends' betray City Heat - Cops cool FAME Road Party

Patrons get on bad at the FAME Road Party, City Heat, held at Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston last Saturday. - winston sill

IMAGINE HEAVILY ARMED police personnel, faces devoid of expression, purposefully striding through a location. Their guns are raised across their chests ready to strike and helmets and bullet-proof vests are firmly intact. It sounds like something from an organised police raid, doesn't it?

Well, it wasn't. Instead, that was the scene a few minutes shy of three a.m. last Saturday night at City Heat, the blazing hot FAME Road Party held at Mas Camp on Oxford Road, St. Andrew

The fully-outfitted cops invaded the backstage area, effortlessly moving aside the security stationed at that entrance. At that point, one knew that the party was soon to end.

Interestingly, it was déja vu for the FAME team who had experienced a similar situation at last year's road party at Mas Camp when cops, in like fashion, ended the session at a little after three a.m.

Naturally, the FAME gang was not pleased. The Party Animal Kurt Riley, who had given a stirring set earlier, was visibly upset as he stormed off the stage and stooped against the speaker boxes at the front.

And, in his attempt to remain composed and bring calm to a crowd that was becoming increasingly disgruntled, Francois St. Juste urged patrons to comply with the demands of his "good friends" to end the party immediately. His pleas for patrons to behave themselves was quite warranted as shouts of "A eediat ting dem a kip up" and "Gi dem some money" rang through the venue.

Again a throwback to last May, Francois managed to eke out a few more minutes of music but the vibes had been irrevocably cooled.

Nonetheless, almost in a defiant stance to the cops and definitely in a show of loyalty to their favourite party station, patrons stayed put, clinging to the session's dying moments and only grudgingly shuffling out when Francois finally announced it was time to go.

See more on the FAME Road Party later this week in THE STAR.