TORRENTIAL RAIN, thunder and lightning marred the grand finale of the Tobago Music and Cultural (TOMAC) Festival, but Grammy-winning afrobeat star Burna Boy, inspired by his drenched but vibrant fans, lifted the dampened spirits at the Plymouth Recreational Grounds with an electrifying performance.
Thousands ignored the Met Office's upgrade of the adverse weather alert, from yellow level to orange, hoping the bad weather would hold up enough to enjoy the show.
Two hours into the concert, it was clear this was not going to happen.
Rain fell throughout performances from soca stars Nailah Blackman, Ricardo Dru and Shurwayne Winchester.
The concert started around 8 pm and by then hundreds were at the venue guarding themselves under umbrellas and tents.
Donning their best attire for the highly anticipated show, some were seen wearing garbage bags, which they bought for $5 at the entrance gate, as vendors capitalised on the opportunities presented by the bad weather.
The garbage bags were sold after umbrellas and raincoats were sold out.
By 10 pm, the downpour became heavier, but the crowd grew larger.
An hour-long interval between the last performance and the headline act left the crowd agitated and eventually disgruntled.
Chants of "Burna, Burna," were eventually replaced by "refund, refund," as DJ music kept the show going without an announcement.
One patron was heard saying: "They could at least come out and say what’s happening, instead of leaving us wondering if the show will go on.”
Scores of disappointed patrons eventually left the venue, but many stayed to get their money's worth.
Midnight had passed and the stage remained in darkness with its instruments covered with polythene plastic.
However, around 12.40am, Burna Boy took the stage, much to the delight of his fans.
The energy from his performance sent the crowd wild, forgetting their soaked clothes, hair and shoes.
Burna delivered hit after hit, including Toni Ann Singh (his collaboration with Popcaan), Jerusalema, Ye, For My Hand (a collaboration with Ed Sheeran) and Last Last.
Song after song, the crowd screamed in excitement, singing his lyrics word for word.
Burna told the crowd this was his first time in Tobago and he was excited to visit an island “only heard about in the movies.”
Even as the rain continued, Burna Boy connected with his fans, performing for an hour to thrill his patient and appreciative fans.
Burna Boy ended his performance just at 1.30 am with the same energy and hype he started with.
'Burna fed off crowd's energy'
TOMAC organiser Arlene Lyons acknowledged the challenges with the weather but felt satisfied with the overall outcome and impact of the festival.
In an interview with Newsday, she said, "For the first time attempting to do something of this magnitude and significance, we are happy to have given this gift of Burna Boy to the people of Tobago.
"To me, it has been a very challenging and inspiring experience and it's almost a perfect manifestation of the resilience and struggle of t
