The Department of Tourism's celestially conceived NeoSoul Festival came to an auspicious end at sometime around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Yeah, there were a few technical problems throughout the superstar-studded show, but for the most part, this evening was one that should be remembered for many years to come.

The festivities began just after 8 p.m., when the Bermuda African Dance Company took the stage and performed an ample fifteen minute set that featured an especially dynamic performance from Mr. Quito Swan on the Djembe drum. The dancers were energetic and bursting with personality (as always) and the vibes were astronomically positive - an excellent start to say the least.

The next act to grace the stage was the legendary Jahstice Reggae Movement. They delivered a very tight thirty minute set that featured covers of standards such as "Roots, Rock, Reggae" and "Who The Cap Fit" as well as newer classics like Beres Hammond's recent international smash "Rock Away".

Vocals were provided by the band's very versatile drummer Jimmy (Furbs) Furbert and the exceedingly talented mother/son duo of Phiemma and Desta Wilson.

The set also featured some outstanding trumpet playing by the incomparable Winston Degraffe. Just plain old fashioned good stuff! Jahstice concluded the local portion of the show, so now it was time to meet and greet those folks we'd, before now, only seen on television and in magazines.

So the Captain introduced the Young and Restless Shemar Moore and the ladies exploded into hysteria. I mean, it was loud people - you'd think they'd never seen a beige brother in a black suit before! But don't mind me, I'm just mad that I never get that kind of reception (Aren't we all fellas?).

Shemar talked a little, flirted a little and made many a female's day before he introduced a last minute act that made a serious attempt to steal the entire show! Maybe I was partial because I'd performed with these two brothers just two nights earlier, but Heru Ptah & Tehut Nine tore the roof off! (Yes, I am well aware that there was no roof - smarty-pants!).

They delivered four phenomenal spoken word gems, and by the end of their time, the audience was simply mesmerised! I mean, they exploded into spontaneous applause, but many of them were still trying to get a grasp on what they had just seen.

They had seen two of the young leaders of a movement that is about to take over the world in full flight mode.

They had seen the awesome power of the spoken word, and many of them became fans instantly. It was now right around 10 p.m. and Shemar kept teasing us with news of the featured performers' whereabouts (apparently Jaguar Wright was still on the plane at this point). One performer who had been on the site from the very start was the ridiculously precocious Bilal. His set was introduced after a little more flirting, and my word he was good!

Bilal opened with the gothic sounding "Sally"; a song that is as intelligent as it is funk-laden. The twenty-year-old wonder child was oozing flair and charisma from the very first moment he hit the stage, talking to the audience like they were a bunch of old friends and encouraging the ladies to come forward so he could serenade them - they did and so did he.

"Reminisce" was next; a smooth groove that afforded him ample opportunity to flex his considerable vocal range and get his groove on in no small way.

Throughout the set he would take short breaks that would last a minute or so to do a somewhat contorted kind of wiggle that seemed to speak to the extreme amount of Soul he carries in his small frame.

The dance seemed strange to us, but that's only because we're mere mortals, whereas this kid has the potential to become a Soul Music God in time.

Bilal finished his set with fabulous renditions of the hits "Sometime", the Dr. Dre produced banger "Fast Lane" and the m magnificent "Soul Sista".

He told us that his second album will drop in February, expressed his love of our island home, and exited stage left. My only complaint (and this is a personal complaint) is that he didn't sing the stunning "Love It" . Oh well, maybe next time.

Next up was the best this show had to offer, before or after the night was done. Angie Stone entered out temporal space at sometime around 11.20 p.m., and proceeded to ease our pain with each breath she pushed through her technically challenged microphone. This lady is quite simply a queen people. Her voice is as smooth as smooth itself, and her songs are calculated to cause feelings of love, healing and tenderness. She is as real an artist as exists in the music industry today.

She opened with Diana Ross' timeless "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?) " and slid gently into a logically designed introductory piece called "Mahogany Soul" (which, incidentally, is also the title of her wonderful new album).

Miss Stone dove directly into the new album with excellent renditions of "What You Dyin' For", the internationally loved "I Wish I Didn't Miss You", the saucy "Pissed Off", the sobering "Easier Said Than Done" and the powerful "Brotha" - Thank you Miss Stone, thank you very much.

Angie's generous set also featured thrilling performances of standards like Sly & The Family Stone's "Family Affair", Curtis Mayfield's "The Makings Of You" (which is an unspeakably beautiful tribute) and an audacious reggae infused version of Sade's "Sweetest Taboo". That last performance also featured an impromptu dance display by local artist Owen Millet; a dance display that had even Miss Stone heating up a bit - very well done O!

Other highlights of this very classy set included Terry Taylor's duet with Angie that will be featured on the next album in collaboration with Soul singer Joe. The piece was called "Blood In My Veins" (a tentative title) and it was stunning. Then there was Reggie Hines' performance on the Clarinet during the Curtis Mayfield tribute, and the outstanding renditions of "Everyday" and the already classic "No More Rain (In This Cloud) " from Miss Stone's magnificent solo debut Black Diamond.

Miss Angie Stone was simply amazing on Saturday night, and whatever happened after she left the site didn't even matter - nothing could destroy the high she put us on! The audience devoured every second that she allowed us to bask in her radiance, shouts of "Sing it Angie" and "We love you" were uttered throughout her set, and at some stage during this set, we all, each and every one of us, closed our eyes and floated away with her, and our troubles were gone.

Too bad the technical crew didn't have time to do that as well. The technical problems increased steadily over the course of the evening, and even after New York's DJ Ace had done his part and thoroughly 'rocked the crowd' and Shemar Moore did some extremely pressurised stalling work, we still had to wait another ten minutes for Cameo to come out.

And even then, the first ten minutes of their set were marred by inaudible mics. They set itself was good, however, though it was basically made up of songs that were hitting right around the time Bilal was learning to talk.

They performed such Cameo classics as the funk-drenched "Single Life", the mesmerising "She's Strange", the timeless "Candy" and the marvellous "Word Up". Memories were triggered, emotions were revisited and the party was in full effect!

The time was becoming an issue now, but at least Jaguar had finally arrived. She took the stage at around 2.30 a.m. and delivered an attitude filled set that won over many of the six hundred or so souls that were still hanging on to this magical night. So here she is in all her glory, singing "Country Song" and riffing her heart out and the miss start to fail again.

Her voice was surprisingly strong for a woman who had been travelling for the last two days and hadn't slept during that time, but those of us who bought her debut album already knew what this woman could do. She did her best with what the tech crew provided for her, and the hangers on loved her for the effort.

I spoke to Miss Wright after the show was all done and she said that she would like to return to Bermuda and do a free show for the people, to make up for what had just happened. Hopefully someone will take her up on this proposal and we'll get a treat sometime in the near future. I know I want to see her again! Don't you?

The show wrapped up at around 3.15 a.m., and with that, the Neo Soul Festival came to a close. Yes, the hour was late, but not one of the 1500 or so souls who attended this concert on Saturday night left feeling gypped in any way, shape or form. This was a top notch line-up, and the technical difficulties didn't really become overbearing until Cameo came on.

A few tweaks in the machinery and next year's event will be that much closer to perfect - there will be an event next year won't there?

To all the folks who flew down for the festival, thanks for coming and we all hope you enjoyed our island home enough to return many times over - and Happy Birthday to my new friend Maisha from Brooklyn .