Rejoice and Be Glad: Trinidad Xmas Concert

So in the name of Christmas spirit and as an excuse to see more of Trinidad, my mum and I headed out on a "Jessie James" outing to Queen's Hall. We were expecting to get a Christmas concert with a loud steel band and an island twist. What we got was nothing of the sorts.

I'm gonna be honest. I hate Christmas concerts. I those praise the lord, jesus is born type songs are just horrendously hard to listen to. So, when I saw this huge gospel choir walk onto the stage I knew what I was in for.  

Now, don't get me wrong, these singers were amazing. The harmonies were spot on, the solos were absolutely breathtaking, and there were refreshing moments between the gospel songs. But what I really wanted was some island, upbeat, steel drum holiday music! 

Luckily, there were some refreshing moments between all the harmonies and "praise the lord"s. After the first 10 minutes, this man with dreadlocks, jeans, and a tee-shirt walked onto the stage. He sang a few verses of  City and Colour's The Girl:

While I'm off chasing my own dreams 
sailing around the world 
Please know that I'm yours to keep
My beautiful girl

And when you cry a piece of my heart dies
Knowing that I may have been the cause
If you were to leave and fulfill someone else's dreams
I think I might totally be lost

But you don't ask for no diamond rings
No delicate string of pearls 
That's why I wrote this song to sing
My beautiful girl

He then recited one of the most beautiful poems I've ever heard. It was called "One" and it paid a tribute to the poet's mother. I don't remember much of the poem, but I do remember the meaning. He thanked her for being there for him. How his first word, "mama",  and the words after all stemmed from that One love. 

His performance was touching. He left everyone speechless. 

So the first half of the performance went downhill after the poet, but after the first intermission it turned around. They brought on the most talented steel drum player I have ever seen. He went up there solo, his foot thumping with the rhythm of the drums and just banging away. The amazing thing was that you could distinguish the song he was playing, and his transitions between them were impeccably done. He finished the show with "Hallelujah" while the gospel choir and background drummers accompanied him in the background.