Carl Gilchrist, Star Writer

Ninja Man could hardly have wished for a better birthday bash than his 49th, celebrated Saturday night at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

The event, once again, drew a massive audience, similar to that of last year, and had performances that simply refused to allow any room for boredom.

Ninja Man's birthday bash evokes memories of the '80's dancehall scene when sound systems like Killamanaro, Volcano and Gemini played Skateland, Half-way Tree, with deejays and singers performing live to appreciative audiences. In those days, dances were like stage shows.

The event, by Downsound Records and sponsored by Liquid Nitro, had the same feel, with performers using tracks instead of a live band.

The thousands who turned out for the show were not disappointed.

Downsound Records boss Joe Bogdanovich funded the event and, along with his team, did quite an effective job, with no incident to report.

With his hands-on approach, Bogdanovich, aided by his wife Toya and the likes of Leemour Palmer who was in charge of security, Barrington Daley, Sean 'Contractor' Edwards and Roger Maxwell, delivered an excellent package.

Even before Burro Banton's entry on stage, just after midnight - to the combination of Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Capleton, nearly 50 artistes and five hours later, performances sizzled.

After Banton's well-received performance it was left to George Nooks to take the temperature higher before Leroy Gibbons continued the trend of good performances. Junior Cat the wild Indian, sparkled, Twin of Twins excited the audience and the crowd wanted more of Tony Curtis.

Ninja was serenaded by Stacious before Icho Candy armed with his big hit Captain Selassie, and Tabby represented the Mighty Diamonds beautifully with Right Time, Pass the Kutchie and others.

Jah Boukes and Utan Green performed well, but the announcement of Queen Ifrica sent the crowd into a frenzy. Her performance was simply awesome. Lutan Fyah followed and was well received.

Then a duo from Japan, calling itself Ackee and Saltfish, amazed the packed venue with a spirited performance that one would only expect from a Jamaican performer. But the duo, in perfect Jamaican vernacular, caused an uproar with their performance.

Excellent performances followed by Luciano, Nature and Bushman who were followed by Don Husky, Harry Toddler, Ishawna and Peter Metro who brought on Admiral Bailey.

A deafening roar signalled the arrival on stage of Bounty Killer, who took the crowd through hits such as Look Into My Eyes, Caan Believe mi Eye, Stucky and others.

The sound of 'Zaga' from a mic off stage signalled the arrival of the legendary Beenie Man.

The 'fireman' Capleton, along with Elephant Man and others, later joined them on stage.

Minutes after five in the morning, the crowd started to drift, sensing the end of the show was near. They left satisfied.