Final Night of Invaders Pan Lime
Invaders Steel Orchestra entertains the crowd
TrinbagoPan.com Reporters
Event Date: March 25, 2007
Posted: April 03, 2007
The final night of the Invaders Pan Lime Party Series was held on Sunday 25th March, 2007, at the historic Invaders Pan Yard on Tragarete Road. This final night was the culmination of a series of such events held each night after World Cup Cricket matches at the Queen's Park Oval from 7pm. The final night featured the likes of Brother Resistance, the new St. James Tassa Group, Derek Seales and of course, Caribbean Airlines Invaders Steel Orchestra. This highly entertaining and worthwhile event was not only a celebration of pan music but also an attempt by Invaders to save their historic location.
According to Liz Namsoo, the Public Relations Officer for the Invaders Steel Orchestra, the Pan Lime Series was principally conceptualized to raise funds for the panside's urgent need to purchase a new home. After 67 years at this location on Tragarete Road, directly opposite the Oval, the property has been sold and the band is facing the prospect of having to find new premises. Despite several attempts over the years to raise funds to purchase the property, the band has been unable to raise the money to purchase it. (Invaders laments loss of their panyard)
Now the band faces the daunting task of raising the funds to find a new space. This series was an attempt to continue their own fundraising efforts according to Ms. Namsoo.
Despite the rainy weather, pan fans began to turn out as the evening wore on, although it was clear that the majority of them were not the foreign cricket fans that the event had hoped to attract, nor were they the droves of joyful West Indian cricket fans that usually patronize cricket matches at the Queens Park Oval.
Ms. Namsoo indicated that in her opinion, the turnout for the event was hampered by the low turnout at the cricket matches themselves and the many restrictions that were imposed on cricket fans to meet international security standards. "There was no real Trini vibe", said Ms. Namsoo, and "as a result, the happy, party-going fans that we expected were largely absent." However, as the event continued, it was clear that the local pan fraternity and 'die hard' pan fans were intent on supporting Invaders. And it was clear that the small, though supportive crowd came out ready for a night of entertainment.
The Caribbean Airlines Invaders Steel Orchestra kicked things off with rousing renditions of Baron's "Sweet Soca Man", the Latin-Pop hit "Bailamos", Stevie Wonder's "Part Time Lover" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". The band then continued with Calypso favourites from Lord Kitchener and David Rudder. Patrons continued to arrive, drawn by the sweet sounds of steel, some opting for the chairs located under a tent in the Panyard for shelter from the occasional drizzle, others opting to take up position on the pavement outside or scatter themselves throughout the yard.
After Invaders had warmed up the crowd, Derek Seales, formerly of the band Roy Cape, and the Kaiso All Stars, now performing with Dil-E-Nadan, took the stage, taking the audience through Calypso and R&B selections that had the crowd moving. In an almost one hour set, Seales showed himself to be a competent, engaging and versatile performer whose repertoire extended far beyond Soca and Calypso. His covers of up-tempo songs by Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson as well as Kitchener, Blackie, and Crazy with a sampling of his own selections had the crowd dancing and singing along with him, even forming an enthusiastic conga line that snaked its way through the pan yard, much to the delight of both onlookers and participants.
Hot on his heels came the new St. James Tassa Drummers who kept the spirit alive with their short but energetic set that kept the small crowd in a party mood, paving the way for the return of Invaders for another pan session. They too kept the tempo going with jazz and swing classics as well as Calypso favourites.
The night wound up with a performance by Rapso stalwart, Brother Resistance whose fiery performance underscored his desire to show the Panyard as a sacred space, a historical space that must be respected and protected. He encouraged Invaders to keep fighting to claim their space and declared that we should see all Panyards as protected cultural spaces that should not be left to the whim of corporate interests. His charismatic performances of "Ah Want a Witness" and "Rally" kept spirits high as he encouraged those present to sign the petition provided by Invaders to plead to the powers that be to save their space.
While for Invaders, the Pan Lime series may not have been the success they had hoped for, those that attended surely spent an enjoyable evening of good music and high spirits.
Invaders Panyard Lime in pictures:
www.trinbagopan.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17961
Homepage | Panyard Sensations 2007
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