Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

This contestant shows how to balance STAR newspapers on her head during Irie Fm's 'In di Area roadshow last Thursday. - Contributed

St Thomas brought energy and a massive crowd to the Irie FM 'In Di Area' road tour last Thursday when the bus passed through Yallahs and Morant Bay.

After tackling Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree, Courts in Cross Roads and downtown Kingston, the crew of artistes on the tour, which included QQ, Chan Dizzy, Protoje, Prodigal Son, Ce'Cile, D'Angel and Mr G, headed out to St Thomas to complete the last leg on the first day of this year's roving show.

The response to THE STAR-sponsored event in St Thomas was as good as it was in Kingston, but only got better as the crowd swelled.

DJs Bones and Amber, who hosted with music from DJ Smurf, had fans in Yallahs lining the road from as early as 4 p.m.

Giveaways came from Courts, who had comedians Ity and Fancy Cat on board. The crowd got even more lively when QQ took to the stage, the DJ performing a slightly different set to the one he had just completed in Kingston.

dancing skills

Creating a lighter mood, the youngster aimed to please the ladies showing off his dancing skills while he did songs like Stookie, Rhum Rham, and more.

QQ made way for a little gospel from Prodigal Son with Cyaan Just Hot So before newcomer Chan Dizzy came on to forwards for his hit Nuh Strange Face.

Performing Hello Badmind and Go Hard and Done, Chan Dizzy had persons deejaying along with him.

St Thomas artistes, Prophecy and Vibrant, got strong forwards from the crowd before making way for Protoje. Roll, Arguments, JA were well received before Protoje, who showed his mettle as an upcoming artiste, closed with Rasta Love.

Ce'Cile and D'Angel, who represented the ladies, both held their own and got good reactions from the crowd.

Mr G displayed the skill of a seasoned veteran, interacting with the crowd with an ease that comes with experience. The stage wasn't big enough for him and he went into the audience for parts of his set.

Tarrus Riley made a special guest appearance to the delight of the crowd - the screams and sing-alongs giving evidence to that.

The crowds were to get bigger. According to the organisers of the road tour, usually the biggest crowd on the show is found in Morant Bay. They did not lie.

The park in Morant Bay was almost filled. Persons stood on top of vehicles, climbed trees vying to get a good spot to watch the show. Similar to Yallahs, the performers all got steady forwards with the artistes changing a few of their songs. The night ended with a special performance from Tarrus Riley and his father Jimmy Riley. Tarrus did hits such as Backbiter, She's Royal, Shakka Zulu Pickney and more.

While the show was a good one, some patrons left disappointed because singjay Mavado, who was advertised as a performer, was not present.

DJ Smurf played a number of his songs towards the end to appease the crowd, however, a number of patrons were heard complaining as the bus rolled out. The artistes on the road show were in high spirits as they headed back to Kingston with their job of exciting fans effectively done.