Police pull plug on benefit concert

The mood was right and the atmosphere tight as patrons came out to support Bomani at a benefit concert at the Iguana Nightclub on Friday 26 May.

The DJ kicked the show off with a mixture of present and great back in time music, but the actual live party music never got started until about 12:50 a.m. when patrons really began to roll into the fete.

The band HS Phacktor of which Bomani is a vocalist, was the first to hit the stage. They set the tempo with some slow groovy tunes and later built the momentum with pulsating rhythms.{{more}}

Tourists could be seen gyrating, although at times out of sync with the upbeat soca music, they were still moving following their own beat.

After an exhilarating performance by HS Phacktor, next to hit the stage was new song competition winner Aretha Shallow.

But to the surprise of many, an officer in a blue coast guard overall moved rapidly to the stage and ordered the DJ to turn off the music.

A loud roar of protest rose from the crowd as the DJ announced that the show was over.

Patrons stood in total disbelief that a party which was just beginning to heat up had to be shut down at 2:10 a.m.

Could this have been a prank, maybe part of the show? After all this wasn’t just any fete, but a benefit concert for one of the leading soca artistes in the country who was seeking financial assistance for medical treatment.

But reality hit and the very disgruntled partygoers left complaining to the proprietor Dr. Ken Uno who himself looked dazed.

Speaking with BuzZ, Dr. Uno complained that the early closing of his nightclub has been going on for some four months now, because some residents in the vicinity have been complaining about the loud music coming from his establishment.

The businessman chanted, “I believe in live and let live, I know that people are trying to get their rest, but we have to also understand that we need tourism, we need entertainment in the country.”

Expressing his willingness to come to an agreement between residents and party goers, Dr. Uno pointed out that he and members of the Hotel Association, the Planning Division and other proprietors held a meeting with the Police Commissioner to try to resolve the matter.

He noted that one of the options was to sound proof the area, but that party goers preferred an open air environment. The nightclub owner also pointed out that he had agreed to lower the music from about 1:30 a.m. but never agreed to it being totally closed down.

The agitated Uno lamented, “Some people like early entertainment, but there are others who are accustomed to coming out late and having a fete ‘til about four in the morning. We have a Noise Act, I understand that, but it needs to be revised and we need to decide what we want for the country.”

He went on, “If it is tourism we want, we have to address it properly to decide if we are going to be a country for eco-tourism where you know people are going to come to rest. Or we have to decide that it is going to be a mixture of both. We have to decide if this area is going to be an entertainment belt of the country, because there are so many spots here already.”

Dr Uno admitted that the next step will be for all entertainment owners to form an association to address the matter sensibly to come to an amicable agreement.