Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Brian McKnight gave a standout performance on a show that was plagued by organisational problems.

The 'Main Show' of the 2007 CVM TV Port Royal Music Festival fizzled to an end at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, after a late start the evening before had been made worse by band changes after every performer.

With many persons leaving after Brian McKnight's standout 75-minute performance and most of the substantial number which remained departing after dancing merrily to Tarrus Riley's She's Royal, still a handful remained at the Port Royal Entertainment Centre for the last drop of their $3,500 entrance fee. But that number dwindled even further when another band change was announced and there was a "calling Leroy Sibbles backstage" from Shelly-Ann Hill, who hosted the concert along with Tonette Williams, at 4:26 a.m.

He was not the only one who was being called, as the MC said "calling Mr. Stage Manager, please report to the back of the stage" and, after the Fab Five Band was set up and ready, she said "calling Jimmy Riley. Calling Jimmy Riley. Daddy Riley. Father of Tarrus Riley".

There was no response and she said "in the meantime, bandsman, do you want to juice it up? No? Mister Frankie, respect'".

Then it was back to "calling Jimmy Riley. Calling Leroy Sibbles", but it was in vain and at 4:30 a.m. the band members packed it in.

It was the end to a concert that had featured extended sets from One Third, Maxi Priest, Regina Belle, and Brian McKnight, with Tarrus Riley cutting his showing as he had to catch a flight. There was laughter when he indicated his casual clothes and said he had already changed out of the "bashy suit" he had planned to come on stage in.

The late end was always on the cards after a late start, impatient handclaps coming as Regina Belle's band did a sound check at 8:34 p.m., more musicians fine-tuning their sound before Fab Five struck up Buffalo Soldier close to 9:30 p.m. The wait, as long as the band changes after every performer, would have been longer for most of the audience which stood for the night, the promise of more seats to add to those already taken not being fulfilled.

One Third opened uptempo, coordinated moves accompanying their tribute to the "sugar pie honeybunch", before going slow as they "don't want to miss a thing". Their original Baby Boo came before their trademark cover Africa, the audience cheering past a few substandard harmonies through to the close "on top a tings".

The music was less than that for a group of dancers, though, as there was more recorded music when their CD would not play until Jr. Gong's version of Exodus finally obliged.

The wait, filled with music from the band, between Maxi Priest being announced and him hitting the stage with Should I was long enough for a couple songs and he delivered extended versions of Just a Little Bit Longer and Wild World, demanding "turn up me mic man!" when earlier requests for more volume were not met

He introduced his son, Marvellous, whose singing was less than his name.

Regina Belle was almost all soul, paying homage to the Isley Brothers as well as revisiting her first single and her first trip to Jamaica in 1989 with the request to Show Me. She comforted that "Jesus will make it right", just as her mother had promised, This is Love coming before an excellent effort "to capture a dream", before closing with Baby Come to Me.

There was a 45-minute wait to Brian McKnight and when he tried to start the microphone went before he could sing a note. Still, he redid his entry to start a 75-minute showing in which he honoured Luther Vandross with Never Too Much, quipped "I heard a good man is hard to find, but a hard man is good to find", played piano and, briefly, guitar. Sons Brian and Nico combined to inform "you gots to do right" before McKnight surged to a close with Back at One and One Last Cry.

Some persons left but many remained for Riley, who opened with Stay With You and adjusted Beware to caution "beware, of dem an dem terroris' plot".

Despite the problems, patrons made the most of their $3,500 entry fee.

Regina Belle was all soul at the Port Royal Music Festival, 'The Main Show', held at Port Royal Entertainment Centre, on Saturday. - Winston Sill photos