From bottles, fashion and clashes:
By Howard Campbell
Observer senior writer
Kingston Jamaica -THE offices of Supreme
Promotions were being renovated last week, leaving its head Isaiah Laing to
conduct business in an office bare of furniture.
It is the busiest time of the year for the
56-year-old ex-cop. He is gearing up for Sting, the dancehall extravaganza he
started 30 years ago.
This year's show will again be held at
Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine. For the second straight year, it is a joint
production between Supreme Promotions and Downsound Records.
Sting was first staged in 1984 at Cinema 2 in
New Kingston. It was held at the dawn of modern dancehall's digital age and
featured singers Sugar Minott, Tenor Saw and Michael Palmer.
The genre's biggest names have played the
Boxing Day show over the years. Reputations have been made at Sting, the pride
of high-profile artistes have been hurt.
That unpredictability prompted Laing to boldly
declare last week that "If Sting dies, dancehall dies."
He uses the roll call of artistes who got
their start on his show to reinforce his boast.
"Sting made Bounty (Killer), Vybz
(Kartel) and Mavado. It put them where they are today," Laing said.
Each of those artistes have engaged in the
theatrics that has helped make Sting a dancehall spectacle. Despite its
notoriety, many artistes scramble to get on the bill.
Artiste manager and publicist Ray Alexander
believes Sting has helped develop the dancehall brand.
"It's the only show that caters for
dancehall artistes and fans. It gives the artiste who does well a lot of
exposure because promoters want them, especially in the UK," said
Alexander. "If you do well on Sting, you can do well anywhere."
Thirty years is quite an achievement but even
Laing agrees that artiste clashes and fans hurling bottles at unpopular acts,
has hurt Sting's image.
"Some of the things that happened I
wouldn't want to re-live, but that's history," he said.
Super Cat and Ninja Man, two of the artistes
who figured in arguably Sting's most infamous clash, are back for the 30th
anniversary show.
The former was pelted with 'missiles' during
the 1991 renewal at the National Stadium, which led him to threaten a section
of the hostile audience.
Many associate Sting '91 with that incident
but Laing has fonder memories of that year.
"It was our biggest show, we had 42,000
paying patrons."
There have been low points too. Laing says the
1999 event at Jamworld flopped after headliner Capleton withdrew three days
before show-time. He refused to perform once Beenie Man was on the card.
Closer to home, Laing says he has sacrificed a
lot to keep Sting alive. This includes the loss of five apartments and a house.
Laing, who is from rural St Catherine,
launched Sting after promoting a clutch of successful dances at Spanish Town's
Prison Oval and Cinema 2.
In 1984, he was known nationally as a
no-nonsense street cop, working some of Kingston's toughest areas.
His moonlighting as show promoter did not
impress his superiors at the Jamaica Constabulary Force. It is widely believed
that friction led to Laing leaving the force with the rank of detective
sergeant after 20 years service.
Laing credits his tenure in the police force
for keeping Sting on the frontline, when many of its contemporaries have
folded.
"I remember the days when me an' gunman
shoot it out, dem get wey but it was back on the job next day. It's basically
the same with Sting, yuh have to fight even when it tough."
Source:
Jamaica Observer
