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Big fete on a Sunday cause it have public holiday on Monday... we love it, dat is real Caribbean styleee!

Trini Jungle Juice (TJJ) have offices all over the place and New Jersey is no different. So when we heard Veteran's Day weekend have Karib Feva in Downtown Newark... we say, "we up in dat!" CCB International, Inc. and Road Block 90.1 Mix put together the ultimate premium package... the Robert Treat Grand Ballroom is definitely a sweet venue. Mirrored lobby, mix of marble and carpet floors and ballroom chandeliers. But wait, don't let us forget de lineup, every time we turn we head we see another BIG performer. We mean everybody was there.... from Mr. HD himself, Machel Montano with Zan and Patrice Roberts, Mr. Vegas, Assassin, Sanchez and last addition to the cast, Barrington Levy. Promoters also sold tickets to a VIP section with good access to the stage, a personal bar and tabled seating. Very nice! Street parking was readily available despite the downtown location, however several pay parking lots were open for the event. Logistics of getting in was no issue.

So we fall thru bout 9:30pm, just in time to catch a few of the early performances which consisted mostly of local talent. We gotta give props to Soca artist Meshach who had to entertain the Karib Feva crowd acapella style as the DJ was never able to line up the correct tracks. Around 11:30pm, the 1st big name artist got rolling. Assassin ripped up the stage with so many of this old and new hits, including de big chune.... "Man ah dress up in ah name brand suit.. an nuh mind his yute.... Idiot Thing Dat!!!!" Now the TJJ Crew was rolling deep with photo and video crew operational. We bounce up several of the local NJ artists including Ras Emmanuel, Major Killa and Doctor Love many of who are carded to be part of the NJ Reggae Awards. We also found many other artists and promoters backstage including Tony "Mentally ill to Kill" Matterhorn, "Bad Man Forward" Ding Dong, Chin (of Irish and Chin), Dane "Pan-tastic" Gulston, GB:God Bless and the host of the show Ian "The Goose" Eligon to name a few.

With all the commess of all dem big artist passin' thru with even more massive entourages, we lined up for de performance of a life time from Sanchez... it was "one in a million" live and direct and the massives were loving every moment of it... classics like "Missing You" to the can't forward enough "Frenzy." Sanchez is a wonder to experience live and in living colour! His voice is as smooth as heard on any CD and his stage presence is undeniable. A live band and the man with the golden voice skantin' on de stage is one of those things to see before you die. Sanchez even dedicate a small segment to some of his Gospel specials that was well received by the crowd.

With the departure of Sanchez from the stage, DJ's took over while Barrington Levy's band got ready. With a fading voice, Barrington still carried on with a more than entertaining performance using the famous riddims many hits that were well played by his backing band to carry his performance. Ian Eligon made his way on-stage during Levy's performance to show appreciation for Levy still performing despite being under the weather. The mark of a true entertainer.

We don't believe Mr. Vegas performed on the night, as we saw Machel Montano HD take the stage next, doing it all from Soca, Reggae to even some Hip Hop. Classic HD performance as usual with all the high energy that audiences have come to enjoy and expect. We line we self up in the VIP section to take in Machel & the HD gang as the show raced past the 2am closing time set by the city. In fine Trini style Machel took his performance as far he could go... winin' and jammin' as the event went into over time. But TJJ decided to buss de tape early... if you can call minutes to 3am early!

We will be looking forward to catching de lineup next year. Great show! Of course, you can also catch most of the highlights on TJJ TV - Karib Feva 2007 Coverage.

TJJ Boy Scout out