Tuesday night, myself and a few friends took in ‘Best of TNL’ at Village Cafe. We were drawn by the bigger names on the lineup, Airplai and Rootz Underground. Showtime was set for 8:00 p.m. which sounded good but was definitely too good to be true. Having arrived just before 10 p.m. to see no sign of a show, we quietly waited until around 11 p.m. for the first act, the members of which walked thru the door just prior to starting.

Once the show was underway, a flow developed. A patient audience had to sit thru band changes after almost every act but the wait was not too long in most cases. Most of the artistes kept their set to 3 pieces, with the occasional brawta being thrown in. Given that the show was drawing from the year’s TNL line up, an interesting mix of material was presented from Katherine’s acoustic alternative style, to Ganja and Sage with poetry, on to Gas Money with straight out rock. Rootz Underground was well worth the wait. Their easy flowing reggae style had the entire place rocking.

Though I did not stay till the end, the biggest problem I had with the show was the organisation. Some of the artistes billed to perform were no longer on the lineup with no announcement given. And when will Jamaican organisers learn? If they consistently start their shows on time, instead of waiting for a crowd, the audience will learn that they will miss out and change their behaviour accordingly. One of the things that we lack is the ability to set and stick to standards. But the TNL programme was a great addition to the live music scene in Jamaica so I am looking forward to what they have in store for 2007.