On Monday, the energy of Trinidad lingered West. From parts South, East, North and even Tobago,   die hard Machel Montano fans filtered to the Hasely Crawford Stadium for yet another year of an event that’s always extraordinary, even when the lineup isn’t ridiculously ‘international.’

Machel Montano and French Montana on stage on Monday night. PHOTO: Jermaine Cruickshank. 

This year, the sole international act promoted was French Montana. The entertainer who’s been providing humanitarian relief in Uganda with recent efforts to assist his countrymen and women in Morroco launched, touched down in T&T on Monday evening it appeared, and took to Instagram to share the fact that local Immigration officials had ben awaiting his arrival on the tarmac where his private jet landed ahead of his concert appearance. On Monday night, the production of the event, which has drawn thousands over the years, seemed to have strengthened its focus on the promotion of love and unity. There was also a very apparent effort by Machel to introduce the emerging Soca artistes to the people. A performance by Chutney Soca Monarch winners, Nishard Mayrhoo and Neval Chatelal offered patrons a taste of the Indo-Trinbagonian culture- an aspect of the Carnival flavor that’s not always highlighted as much as it really should be.

Nailah, one of T&T’s fastest rising stars, on stage with Jamaican entertainer, Shenseea.
PHOTO: Jermaine Cruickshank.

A stage show that’s always eye-catching, the event this year boasted massive cultural displays from the iconic Mas creator, Peter Minshall who has teamed up with Tunapuna based, Exodus Steel Orchestra to produce “The Eyes of God,” for the road in Carnival 2018. In December, Minshall stressed that he is not bringing a band of his own for Carnival. On stage at Machel Monday however, his masterful creations were larger than life and spoke volumes for his creative mind- certainly still incredibly coherent and full of exuberance. The ‘Soca Kingdom’ themed event was nothing like last year’s show, and while some felt it lacked something, others who live for ‘local’ appreciated the introduction and focus of artistes like M1, Turner, Erphaan Alves who Montano credited as one of his songwriters, Patrice Roberts who thanked Machel for his steadfast training of which she was a student, Nailah Blackman who appeared with Jamaica’s Shenseea, two time International Soca Monarch King, Voice, Machel Montano Music Academy winners, Abdiel Matamora of Trinidad and Tobago and  St. Lucia’s Lu City- a duo that consists of Tyler Auguste and Jean Farrah, who collaborated with Montano on a track called, “Let It Go,” among other young acts.