Rick rocks Belle Air crowd

The stars aligned perfectly for Flow Dis Is Rick.

There was no rain to send patrons scrambling for cover. There was no police intervention to silence the music before dawn, as happened in previous years. Instead, the Belle Air venue in St George became the epicentre of Crop Over euphoria as hundreds danced, sang and waved until 4 a.m. Sunday, leaving with sore feet, hoarse voices and smiles that suggested every dollar spent had been worth it.

If ever there was proof that Lil Rick remains one of the kings of Bajan soca after three decades, this was it.

The man born Ricky Reid has worn almost as many personas as he has produced hit songs. Over the years he has transformed from The Chihuahua Businessman to Hypa Dawg, Hit Rick, Mr Crop Over, Bumpa Inspector, Monster Winer, Highway Contractor and even Gym Instructor. Through every reinvention, however, one thing has remained constant – his ability to entertain.

Now preparing for this Sunday’s Banks Party Monarch Finals with Best Ting, Rick opened his annual concert with that song shortly after midnight and closed the show with it, bringing the night full circle.

The concert, first staged in 2012, was born out of Rick’s desire to give both himself and fellow artistes the freedom to perform without strict time limits.

“I wanted a show where the artistes could perform and Lil Rick could sing all his songs without a promoter telling me you only get three songs or you got five minutes left,” he explained back then.

Mission accomplished. Backed throughout by the ever-reliable De Unit Band, the concert rolled seamlessly for four hours without missing a beat.

From the opening note, Rick made it clear this was not simply another concert – it was a celebration of a 30-year career on the soca scene.

The spacious Belle Air proved an excellent choice, with ample parking, food and drink vendors, room to move freely and, thankfully, no reports of fights or major incidents.

The only thing hotter than the pyrotechnics was the pace.

At the stroke of midnight, the man everyone had been waiting for exploded onto the stage with Best Ting.

The crowd erupted. That would become the theme of the night.

Rick disappeared and reappeared throughout four carefully-crafted segments, as he took fans on a musical journey through three decades of memories. Every generation found something to sing along to – from Ah Like Muhself, Sugar Lump, Blessing, All Is Rum, Take Advantage, Monster Winer, Bend It, Badmind, It Ain’t Me, Birthday, Call 911, Hard Wine, Mash Up And Buy Back and more, he barely allowed the audience a chance to catch a breath.

Even if the famous Hypa Dawg gyrations were a little more restrained these days, the energy never dipped.

But Dis Is Rick has always been bigger than one performer. A parade of Crop Over artistes kept the momentum flowing.

Veteran calypsonian RPB, the most decorated monarch on the bill, set the tone before SugahRhe and Freshie had patrons moving with their Party Monarch contender Show Me Uh Motion. Marzville showcased his unmistakable vocals, while Faith turned up the heat with her stage presence. Shanta delivered Festival Calling, followed by Shaquille GFG, who performed Asphalt and his Party Monarch song After All.

The pyrotechnics intensified when Grateful Co performed When Last and Location, before a slimmed down King Bubba FM had patrons singing every word to Who Drinking Rum, When Ah Touch Down and Calling In Sick. His reunion with Nikita for their smash hit Tequila sent the audience into another frenzy before she did her Party Monarch song Extraordinary.

Then came one of the night’s loudest moments.

Before Mikey could sing a single note, the crowd erupted into rhythmic chants of “246! 246! 246!” as he sprinted onto the stage before delivering Like A Bajan, his song for Party Monarch, and then pulled out other songs out of his extensive catalogue.

Peter Ram kept the pace with Crop Over Good Morning and All Ah We, before the Queen of Soca Alison Hinds, looking every bit the icon dressed in elegant white, delivered crowd favourites, including Iron Bazodee, Faluma and Togetherness before being joined by Rick and Ram for a collaboration.

Mole and BruceLee Almightee delivered Mauby, Breathe, Birds, Good Shelter and Tomorrow, while Doejay and Quon kept patrons entertained with Bartender.

Another standout moment belonged to Mastaa T (Soca Tea, Crop Hot, Tea Tea) and Drej (Trouble).

For their separate stints on stage, they captivated the audience, particularly the women, who sang every lyric word for word, screamed through every chorus.

Jordan English cooled things down momentarily with Super Soaker, Brandy and Rum and Darkers, before Chief Diin performed Yuh Know Dat.

The final guest appearances came from Walkes with Champions Of Colour, followed by Leadpipe and Saddis with Brain Freeze, Bye Bye, Sometimes, Skyfall and Tek Charge.

But this was always Dis Is Rick, despite the stellar supporting cast.

As the clock edged towards 4 a.m., the veteran returned one final time, taking fans on a nostalgic trip through the hits that helped build his career. Older patrons sang every lyric, younger fans danced just as hard, and when Best Ting echoed through Belle Air one final time, there was no frantic rush for the exits. Instead, patrons lingered, reluctant to let the night end.

After 30 years, countless hits, Party Monarch and Soca Monarch crowns, and enough alter egos to fill an album sleeve, Lil Rick showed once again that while many artistes can stage a concert, very few can throw a party quite like Dis Is Rick. (NS)

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