FOS BARON FESTIVAL 2005, was the place to be this pre-Labor Day. The festival was very well attended and although the time was altered, they still manage to push and shove so all of the bands that were there could get a chance to play. TWO BANDS THAT WERE NO SHOWS were Nu Look and Tabou Combo. Tabou we understand had a prior engagement that was pushed aside but finally decided last minute to take but Nu Look we were told was scheduled and I saw the schedule myself but Nu Look didn’t make it. However, the bands that were there did hold it down.

SWEET MICKEY Kicked off the festival and got the crowd warmed up. Aside from throwing jabs at Shabba’s looks, he did a pretty good job. For the people who came for Nu Look, Mickey gave them a taste of “Why Do You Say You Love Me.” he kept the profanity to a minimum (maybe it was because his beautiful little kids were there) the self-proclaimed President wasn’t doing much of his infamous cursing.

K-DANS took the stage after Micky and although they did the same old routine they do at every festival without missing a beat, I liked K-Dans. Didi Santana is a great guitarist. He has some really good grooves. “But Ki Lang Ou Pale” may be a classic but somethings you just don’t play at festivals especially when you have so many bands that can give you a run for your money.

KREZI MIZIK did ok and the reason I’m saying ok is that they only got to perform one song which was ok. Mika did his Reggae Konpa number and the whole band seems to be en sync with each other but I couldn’t really judge them based on that one song alone. I agree with their solgan “Djazz sa fet tou granmoun” which is the reason I don’t expect them to deliver anything less.

T-VICE was actually the best based on the short time they had on stage to play. They had the crowd going from start to finish. They took it straight to the carnival and did their helicopter song. But what shocked the people was when Roberto made the statement saying “If you guys are going to invite us to a festival and only allow us to play one song then don’t” toward the promoters. And his uncle Pierrot Alkah took the mic and told the everybody how he felt and that the band’s rep was on the line when the promoters do that. Roberto did have a point because they should know how to fix the time so each band gets to play at least three songs but to say it the mic was a bit much because after the crowd got really loud with the booing. The host Bikens and Vaval had to struggle to get them to calm down. Certain crowds (like the Miami ones) would have thrown stuff but eventually, the crowd calmed especially when Ti-Joe reassured them that it wasn’t the promoter’s fault that the time changed and they would get a taste of each band. That was very classy of him, to say the least.

CARIMI did ok, again not enough time and the guys didn’t do much improvising, they just wrapped it up really fast. The crowds seemed to really enjoy their number. They had the crowd going wild and crazy. they played, well you’ve guessed it… “Kidnapping.” Although I was really looking forward to hearing “Are You Ready” live but I wasn’t luck.

KREYOL LA came on stage and did their thing. They got a few reaction from the crowd but you can sense their hesitant because they felt Djakout would not be getting on after Kreyola but that didn’t stop them from enjoying Kreyola. After Ti Joe finished performing, he took the mic and tried to undo what T-Vice had already done.

DJAKOUT MIZIK closed the show with a lot of pressure on them but they still managed to throw in a little “Lwe Kris La” While they were setting up the Park Security was trying to shut down their set but they improvised big time. And of course, the crowd was happy to see them but were disappointed about the short performance.

PROS: This festival showed so much potential and since this was their second year I have faith they will do much better next time around. The attendance was good, more people than last year. This is a tradition in the making.

CONS: Two bands didn’t show up, the time was altered limiting some bands from giving a better performance. The lastness. The festival was supposed to start at two but I can’t blame them for that because the majority of the people didn’t start to show up until 5pm which included myself. And the price kept going up at the gate.

I give this festival a **** out of five.

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