Soca superstar Patrice Roberts put on a heartfelt display for her adoring fans at her I Am Woman concert at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Wednesday night.
Roberts took fans on an emotional rollercoaster at the four-hour-long show, with passionate and melodic performances of her bumper Carnival 2024 hit, Anxiety, and candid references to the sudden death of her fiance, fellow soca artiste Ricardo "Drue" Barriteau, on December 12.
She opened up on the grieving process since Drue's death, suggesting the hectic season has not allowed her the time she needed – as hinted at by Anxiety, which alludes to soca and the Carnival festivities being her therapy or coping mechanism.
An unsuspecting Roberts could not hold up when an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated video of Drue was played on the onstage screen
before a brief performance by Teddyson John. A video montage of Drue's moments with Roberts, fellow soca artistes and friends was also shown.
Roberts said, "I am not
okay," and left the stage before the montage was shown, appearing to fight back tears.
Moments earlier, she had a heart-to-heart with patrons as she delivered a sombre acoustic version of Anxiety.
"I (will not) lie. Sometimes, it is really, really hard. It is not easy at all. To know that somebody was sleeping right next to you for one day, and then he gone, and never going and come back again.
"We have a child together, and that person is never going to come back. But every time I see my daughter, I see that person's face every single day, and every night.
"Nobody is perfect. But you see that man? I loved him with everything I had."
She said "putting God first" should be of utmost importance in life, and had some advice for men.
"Men, it is okay to not be okay. You cannot be strong all the time," she said. "It is okay to be vulnerable sometimes."
[caption id="attachment_1062546" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Patrice Roberts took fans on an emotional rollercoaster at her I Am Woman concert on February 7 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. - Roneil Walcott[/caption]
But Roberts was in a cheerful and playful mood for most of the concert as she engaged the crowd and her numerous fellow artistes, who all praised her for the strength she has shown during the Carnival season.
Roberts also tested the memory of patrons as she belted out throwback hits such as Always Be, Rollin', Sugar Boy and The Islands, with an expectant crowd hanging on to every last word.
Backed by the A Team band, Roberts gracefully shared the stage with over 20 artistes, as she struck a balance between up-and-coming acts and more seasoned soca artistes.
Lyrikal showed off his best self during his performance with Nailah Blackman and sang hits such as Happy Place and Cloud 9. Nadia Batson got a great reception from the crowd, who sang along to tunes like Market and Every Time.
Preedy and Voice both had the VIP and general admission sections jumping and stomping their feet as they sang Beating Road and Penthouse.
And as ha
