Police on duty at the highly anticipated "Best of Both Worlds" concert on Saturday night used tear gas to disperse a disgruntled crowd at 3 a.m., after the show ended abruptly with none of the headline acts, including Elephant Man, Vybez Kartel and Busy Signal having performed.



"The promoters don't even have the courtesy to come and say something," a woman in the VIP section remarked. "That's unfair."

Many patrons began leaving the venue around 2 a.m. but a large contingent remained until 3 a.m., when the music was suddenly stopped and police officers began asking those in front to head to the exits.

At this point, patrons still had not been advised of any change in the line-up, so many were reluctant and started throwing cups and cans at the stage.

Fifteen minutes after the music was stopped, police officers deployed tear-gas, creating pandemonium as patrons scrambled toward the exits in fear.

Several vendors plying their trade were also affected by the tear-gas and ran out the backstage exit.

Instead of receiving assistance for their burning eyes and faces, they were warned against returning inside to collect their belongings and advised to go home.

Another young lady in the general admission section said: "It's absolutely disgusting because I feel like I did not get my money's worth at all. I got here late, expecting to see the best performers already onstage, not this."


Approximately 1,500 patrons attended the show, with some paying as much as $400 for VIP tickets and coming from around the country, even as far as Rio Claro.

Headline acts, Jamaican dancehall superstars Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel and Busy Signal, as well as reggae sensation Richie Spice failed to show, despite confirmed reports of their presence in the country since Good Friday.

Between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., the small crowd of just a few hundred patrons grew substantially, as the supporting cast of local performers delivered their routines.

Studio 53 alumni "Firestone" kicked off the live performances just after 10 p.m., followed shortly by "the Laventille-youth", Mr King. Both were well received.

Next, Moruga representative Prophet Benjamin and his First Creation band took the stage and livened up the crowd with his string of hits, a charismatic stage presence and impressive lyrical content throughout.

After just 30 minutes onstage, Benjamin was advised to cut his set short and he complied but not before creating uproar with his remake of African superstar Akon's "Don't Matter".

After such an exhilarating performance, the stage was set for the Jamaican contingent, who never arrived.

Promoters for the event never showed their faces on the night and could not be reached for comment afterwards.