BY BHISHAM MOHAMED
Guyanese were blown away on Sunday morning by the melodious and powerful voice of international R&B singing sensation, R Kelly, during his spectacular 90-minute performance at the Redemption Concert at the Guyana National Stadium.
In dim lights, he made his grand stage appearance about 01:45h, opening with “Your Body Is Calling Me” to the delight of thousands of fans who flocked the venue to witness one of the greatest concerts ever held at the venue. While the superstar dished out several of his hits, he stole the show with his penultimate tune “I Believe I Can Fly” and the last, “Step In The Name Of Love”. There was not a single person sitting in the arena as he performed the last two songs.
As he started to sing “I Believe I Can Fly”, the crowd sang along, forcing Kelly to stop and allowed the crowd to continue singing. He held his head in amusement as tears trickled down his cheeks. He then applauded his fans for their overwhelming support and continued the song intermittently.
Decked in all black, the artiste sang with a lot of emotion as he reminisced from where he came; hence, the reason for him writing the song, “I Believe I Can Fly” and encouraging his fans to “believe it can happen”.
After performing that rendition, he was evidently in tears and so were some of his fans in the audience. As he took some time to compose himself, the fans started to chant “Kelly! Kelly! Kelly!” Next, the lyrics of Kelly’s hit song, “Step In The Name of Love” boomed through the powerful speakers of Fusion International. The fans went hysterical and started to sing before the entertainer opened his mouth. As he started to sing, again, the crowd sang and danced along.
By this time, it was time to say goodbye to his fans, and he did, promising to return to Guyana, noting that it was his first and he will obviously take back great memories. He said prior to being contacted to perform in Guyana, he did not know where the country was, and more so anything about it, but after spending two days, he realised how much Guyanese love him and more so, his music. During his 90-minute performance, he was extremely thankful to be in Guyana for the first time.
Apart from “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Step In The Name Of Love”, Kelly dished out a few others, including; “Bump and Grind”, “The World’s Greatest”, “When A Woman Loves”, “Fiesta”, “I Wish”, “Happy People”, “Real Talk” and “Slow Wine”.
Other performers
Hours before the main attraction, R. Kelly, came on stage, the energetic crowd was entertained by ‘Kes and Band’ whose hit song “Wotless” sent the crowd wild.
Kes was followed by Guyana’s own, Jumo Primo, who performed to the pleasure of his Guyanese fans. As usual, he brought energy to the already hyped crowd, coupled with some laughter by his gestures which caused his pants to rip on stage. The man called “Rubber Waist” belted out a few of ‘X2’ hits, but mostly concentrated on his new singles, including “Nosey People”.
Also performing were ‘Morgan Heritage’, well known for their reggae rhythms.
Living up to their reputation, the group performed to perfection as they dished out several hits loved by Guyanese. The crowd went berserk when he dished out “Tell Me How Come”, “She’s Still Loving Me”, “Don’t Haffi Dread”, “Down By The River” and “A Man Is Still A Man”.
Next on stage was the Karma Band, featuring Ravi B and Nesha B. As they appeared on stage, the crowd was not that responsive, but after a few minutes into their performance, the crowd lightened up.
During their performance, the only chutney music performed was “Prescription”. They dished out several soca, reggae and dancehall music. As usual, they ended their performance with “Palace”.
It was indeed a fabulous night of high quality entertainment to the fullest.
Patrons left the arena with smiling faces which indicated their satisfaction. Among the patrons were President Donald Ramotar, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Alli, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and other government officials, along with members of the diplomatic corps.
