They may have been the last band to perform for the night, but the BP Renegades steel orchestra were in no way left behind as they topped the list of performers for the Panorama Semi-Finals in the large conventional bands category at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Sunday.
Beginning just before 7 pm, the large conventional bands category featured 14 steelbands, 12 of whom advanced to the finals of the competition on Carnival Saturday.
Even as they took up position with their instruments on stage at around 12.15 pm, Renegades performers were met with cheers and applause from patrons, many of whom began to show signs of fatigue.
Despite the late hour, energy from patrons was still high as many spectators in the North Stand rose to their feet and packed the first few aisles to see the performance.
As silence fell over the savannah, Renegades performance of Black Stalin's Feeling to Party began.
Players guided by the on-stage antics of drill master Andrew Charles grooved to the beat of the music as patrons sang the lyrics of the tune and danced from the comfort of the North Stand.
Ending their performance with a stream of confetti, the BP Renegades received an uproarious applause as the savannah shook from the crowd's response.
Speaking with Newsday on Monday, president of BP Renegades Colin Greaves says while the band was pleased with the top spot, they were cautious not to become too comfortable with the results and promised they would continue working towards the top spot for the finals of the competition.
He said the song selection of Black Stalin's Feeling to Party was in keeping with the band's desire to pay homage to cultural icons and their legacies.
[caption id="attachment_999676" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Republic Bank Exodus rock to Tourist Leggo during their second-place performance in the large steelband category of the Panorama semifinals, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Sunday. - Andrea De Silva[/caption]
"This year our approach to the song is definitely in keeping with our concept of paying homage to legacy and as we celebrate the legacy of Black Stalin it is our 75th anniversary, we would have recently have a portion of Charlotte Street renamed after Renegades as Renegades Way, so in the celebration of legacy for us the energy and spirit of Feeling to Party is one of celebration as we celebrate Dr Leroy Calliste, the Black Stalin.
"What you saw in the semifinals is people sharing in the celebration with us, they are celebrating the music, they are singing along, we made sure the arrangements flowed a particular kind of way to make sure that we get a lot of crowd engagement.
"We decided to go that route of creating what we hoped would be a legacy music team and we just want to encourage people to comfort and support and sing the song, dance, hug up and enjoy the music."
The Renegades last won a Panorama in 2019, following their victory in 2018. They placed second in 2020.
Republic Bank's Exodus came in at second place with their performance of King
