Vybz Kartel and Spice pose for a picture at "The Evolution: Vybz Kartel & Friends" concert in March 2025
By Lynaire Munnings
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
WHAT was meant to be a landmark moment in dancehall history — Vybz Kartel’s first international concert since his prison release — turned into a chaotic experience for many on Saturday, as the highly anticipated show left frustrated patrons battling hours-long waits, a disorganised ticketing system, and a poorly stocked bar, only to be salvaged by electrifying performances from Kartel and Spice.
Billed as part of a three-day “Vybz Kartel and Friends” festival, the concert at Clifford Park drew heavy interest from both local and international patrons. Tickets ranged from $150 for VIP (classified as general admission) to $300 for all-access, with skyboxes priced in the thousands.
Patrons arrived expecting a seamless experience but reported encountering disorder instead. The entry line, which wrapped around Clifford Park, lead to two small windows on a jitney where attendees were expected to collect wristbands. With no clear signage or direction, locals and foreigners scrambled to get to the windows, creating chaos. Many people were left questioning how to gain access.
Wait times stretched to nearly two hours, with some concertgoers giving up and leaving. Eventually, promoters ran out of wristbands, forcing organisers to allow attendees to enter without them, further adding to the disorder.
Some took to social media to vent their disappointment. One Facebook user wrote: “The Vybz Kartel concert was the most unorganised event I’ve been to in my life.”
A Twitter user echoed the sentiment, saying: “I’ve been around the world, and this is by far the worst execution of a concert I’ve ever seen.”
Michelle Solomon, who attended with friends, arrived around 11.30pm but was not allowed in until after 1am — just before Spice’s performance. She described the bar as understocked and the service slow. While she praised the performances, she condemned the event’s disorganisation.
“The ticketing process was an absolute mess,” she said. “Despite paying good money, I was met with chaos, delays, and a complete lack of organisation. It’s unacceptable that fans have to go through this just to see an artist they love. The organisers need to do better — this was a blatant failure, and people deserve refunds or real accountability.”
Despite the turmoil, the performances by Vybz Kartel and Spice were widely praised. Fans described their sets as energetic and engaging, with many calling it Vybz Kartel’s best performance yet.
Event promoters did not respond to The Tribune’s requests for comment yesterday.
Comments
bahamianson 2 days, 5 hours ago
First concert after being released from prison!!! Wow, that says it all. This was promoted by Aliv and Bahamas Air, both family oriented. It is sad to see people promote a singer singing about licking the Pom Pom, all night. Do we glorify this behavior? Is this acceptable? It is a sad indictment on our youth and the future of this country.
TalRussell 2 days, 4 hours ago
For damn sure, Comrade Marco Rubio will be watching from Miami as to who all we let into the Colony: -- I'll set the scene and leave to you if to conduct your own searches so you know what kind of country to compare Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s, “Snatch and Revoke" to. -- An vehicle appears out of nowhere. -- Masked agents in plainclothes emerge from an unmarked vehicle. They accost an international student legally allowed into the country of which "she" has paid top US dollars to attend a US University. -- One agent wrests her mobile phone out of her hand. With stunning swiftness;...as the Comrade "Sister" student utters a scream as she is handcuffed and driven away by Masked (ICE) agents. -- Such Rubio’ “Snatch and Revoke” "Masked (ICE) agents who just this past Tuesday, snatched a PhD student off the streets of a Boston suburb was no isolated incident. -- Yes?
trueBahamian 1 day, 18 hours ago
They let him in for the Grammy's and he has a concert in NY soon.
ThisIsOurs 2 days, 1 hour ago
The article didnt say who the event promoter was.
"arrived around 11.30pm but was not allowed in until after 1am — just before Spice’s performance."
That is nightmarish... I checked the average time to get into a baseball game. The commenters said arrive about two hours before the game, they calculated in that two hours the time to negotiate traffic and park, get into the stadium, buy food and get to seats. This lady stood in the line for almost two hours...sheesh. If Spice came on at 1AM what time did Vybz come on? An event at this scale is far from an easy thing to coordinate... but certainly they can guesstimate the number of tickets windows and drinks theyd need based on the expected crowd size.. and the average time it should take someone to negotiate the line. Seems like basic planning elements were missing or maybe they didnt have the money upfront to prepare for the event. This is something consumer affairs should look at. Another pseudo Fire Festival fiasco
trueBahamian 1 day, 18 hours ago
It's not a Fire Festival disaster as there was an actual concert. They delivered what was promised. It was just terrible organization. Two windows makes no sense for a large event and if you're using fitness that reeks of ghetto. Wristbands are just pieces of paper that can be used for other events if you buy too many. So, it's poor they ran out of this. On the drinks side, again having a good guesstimate of crowd size could help to prepare for this as well. I'm guessing this promoter is new at this or isn't used to this level of turnout. Either way it shows they're amateurs.
ThisIsOurs 1 day, 10 hours ago
Hence why I said "pseudo".
"I'm guessing this promoter is new"
That's not a valid explanation. "New" is not an excuse for bad service. This is why I said some regulatory body should be looking at these events to ensure the person taking money from the public is sufficiently capitalized to deliver on what they say they will deliver
ThisIsOurs 1 day, 2 hours ago
They also did not "deliver on what was promised", there are many quality criteria for events. Easy access, food and drinks, parking, view of the stage, security and on an on, "the main act" does not equate to an assessment of success. For example, if the promoters had said, it'll be about a two hour wait on the line to get in, you may have to push and shove to get your band because we'll have limited booths, we likely wont have enough drinks for everyone who attends and the main act isnt starting until 1AM, but it will be great!". How many people would say "I just cant wait". All of that is a part of the experience and it was not all good or delivered as promised
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