Vybz Kartel’s T&T journey crashes

Jamaican Dance Hall King Vybz Kartel’s on-and-off-again mega show ended with the superstar failing to turn up and perform in Port of Spain on Saturday night, resulting in a mini-riot and the intervention of the police.

Kartel had been scheduled to hold the super concert during carnival celebrations in February, but the show was scrubbed for a variety of reasons, including scheduling in the middle of multiple other events.

Rescheduled for last weekend, the thousands of fans who had paid big bucks to see him and others at the One Caribbean Concert were informed five hours before show time that Kartel would be a no-snow show because of payment and other contractual issues with the promoter.

Local and social media reported a dispute over money, with the organizers experiencing some difficulties meeting the $1.35 million fee for him to perform even though $900,000 had been paid and a second sizeable amount had also been paid to his representatives.

Both sides’ efforts to resolve the issue before show time did not succeed, so fans were informed that he would not be performing, much to their disappointment and chagrin.

But organizers pressed ahead with other performers even as the small group of fans revealed their disappointment. A few threw objects towards the stage. One angry fan made it, toppling speakers and other equipment on stage before storming off.

Helmeted police and other security personnel were called to restore order, and a few arrests were made.

The Trinidad leg of his comeback tour around the region, Europe, and North America had been fraught with problems. The security ministry had placed restrictions on him addressing schools, concerned that his bad boy image after his release from jail last July after 13 years on a murder conviction would have negatively impacted local youths. They had also discouraged him from doing radio interviews but later relented, and even after all this, Adidja Palmer still could not make it to the stage.