TUCO (Trinibago Unified Calypsonians Organization) unhitched the Calypso competition from the Sunday night Dimanche Gras and hosted their show at the Queens Park Savannah last night. After all the singing and presentations Eric Taylor whose sobriquet is 'Pink Panther' surprised the public and emerged as the new Calypso Monarch of Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival 2013.
Some have indicated that the show was boring or that is simply did not live up to the billing. The semi final segment provided drama and intense competition but the finals did not come across as the 'big show' that everyone expected. - something was missing! The show lacked the tension and excitement that comes with a major competition. As a matter of fact, it did not feel like a competition but more like a show put on by the TUCO to showcase the talents of 12 Calypsonians. So what happened, what went wrong? They will have to 'go to the tapes' for the answers. I am sure that when they look back they will come up with some simple fixes for next year's competition.
As far as the show and performances were concerned, the defending Monarch (Duane O'Connor) disappointed his fan base while Kurt Allen performed well and was the leading candidate to win last night He (Kurt Allen) had the Black Stalin on stage for his second song while Duane O'Connor had the Mighty Sparrow (stretch limo brought the 'Birdie' on stage). The Pink Panther was solid but many did not like his second song especially when he brought out the coffin on stage. His first song was funny but he was "pelting big vocal big stones" at the politicians with his lyrics - it was funny but his masking of the lyrical content (double entendre) was well done. I mentioned in the WACK Radio (www.wackradio901fm.com) chat-box that he was solid and kept on topic and delivered excellent performances. After all was said and done the judges found favor with his solid performances and concluded that he was the best seen and and heard on the show billed as 'Terrific Thursday'.
Some contestants may or may not have lived up to expectations and, as everyone is aware, in the end the judges decision is final. Some will find favor with the decisions made by the judges while others will disagree with the decisions of the judging panel. Many of the artists had presentations that were not focused on the lyrical content/theme of the song they sang. Karene Asche disappointed with her stage presentation for her second performance. For her song, "Eat Ah Food", she had people dining while she was dressed as a waitress but "To Eat Ah Food" means that the person 'is doing just enough to get by and make enough money to live the way he/she wants to live'. I don't believe her stage presentation portrayed the meaning of the song - I was disappointed because I had selected her to win prior to the start of the finals.
Some of the problems I noticed while watching the Internet video feed were obvious. The first thing I noticed was that the stage lighting was very poor. As a matter of fact the stage looked dark! The audio was very bad especially the audio of the music band supporting the singers on stage. There is a dire need for professional audio engineers for these shows. They should always endeavor to hire professionals who understand the staging of these events. Lighting is important and professional audio specialist to ensure a clean sound without distortion is essential for marketing this show. The time element was a problem. The show went on for too long - over 5 hours and became a bore to be honest.
In the end the results gave us a new Calypso Monarch, Eric Taylor aka "Pink Panther"; he will reign for one year until King Carnival comes again in the year 2014. Congratulations are extended to Mr. Taylor and all the artists who performed tonight. It was a bold move by TUCO and should grow and become better in the future.
The prize structure and final places are as follows:
- 1st place - $1 Million Dollars
- 2nd place - $500,000
- 3rd place - $275,000
- 4th place - $175,000
- 5th place - $100,000
- 6th-12th places will each receive the sum of $60,000
♫ Travel Woes
♫ Crying In The Chapel
2.Kurt Allen - ♫ Political Sin Phony; ♫ Black Stalin Say
3. Heather McIntosh - ♫ The Old Man’s Lament; ♫ Invisible
4. Roderick Gordon (Chucky) - ♫ Bear With Me; ♫ Addiction
5. Karene Asche - ♫ Meh Pardna Ship; ♫ Eat Ah Food
6. Eunice Peters - ♫ None Of The Above; ♫ Keshorn The Javelin Champion
7. Duane O'Connor - ♫ Building The Wall; ♫ Seeking Sparrow's Advice
8. Alana Sinette-Khan - ♫ No Moral Authority; ♫ Pathological
9. Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust) - ♫ Prodigal Son; ♫ Virginia’s Alzheimer
10. Kizzie Ruiz - ♫ In The Age Of Blog; ♫ TNT Forever
11. Marva Joseph (Marvellous Marva) - ♫ Come Back To What; ♫ Woman Contribution to Trinidad & Tobago
12. Victoria Cooper (Queen Victoria) - ♫ D Betrayal; ♫ Club 34
The show just ran too long. They have to tighten it up. less competitors perhaps? Someone on TV said there's no need for the intermission. Of course, they aren't in the band.
I don't think the Savannah stage is the best venue for this show either. Move it across the street to NAPA perhaps? or queen's hall?