The North Village Community Club field was transformed from a simple soccer pitch into an enticing `boast-fest' of singing, rapping and colourful musicality on Friday night.

More than 2,000 reggae lovers packed into the field for dancehall summer explosion 1995 and they were not disappointed.

Featured local entertainers included Daddy P and Mr. Buds, Junior C, Corvin Melody, Jahstice and local sound Playboy.

Beenie Man once again was the pick of the foreign entertainers -- Sanchez, Bounty Killer and Silver Cat, Tanto Metro, Snagga Puss, Little Kirk and Frisco Kid were the others -- while Junior C was the toast of the local acts.

The concert began on time with Daddy P and Mr. Buds, a duo that mixed contrasting yet complimentary styles into a performance that set the tone for the acts that followed.

Corvin Melody did not give one of his better performances his first time on stage but he made up for this later when he came back and teamed up with Junior C.

As always, Junior C with his syncopated rhyming, used his voice like a percussive instrument bending his words and spitting them out with staccato precision.

But as the lights were dimmed and a cloud of smoke filled the stage, Jamaican dancehall prince Silver Cat burst upon the stage sporting a high-top fade and baggy blue jeans.

Lithe and supple as a gazelle, Silver Cat frolicked about like a human dynamo occasionally propping himself up on a speaker to catch his breath and gyrate his hips for the women.

His husky voice and the untucked looseness of his baggy jeans which fell about his waist and had to be pulled up at each turn, evinced his raw outlaw attitude and whetted the crowd's appetite. They in turn showed approval by burning lighter flames and asking for an encore.

Little Kirk, who sings on Beenie Man's label, displayed breathtaking verbal fluency, flowing easily from one selection to another.

Snagga Puss, his shoulder length dread locks carefully tucked under a baseball cap, introduced the audience to the Erkel dance and had them sing along with his interpretation of Bob Marley's classic hit "One Love''.

But the night belonged to Beenie Man and his Shockin Vibes crew. Juxtaposed with his street smart fly vines, slangy hipness and B-boy bodaciousness, Beenie Man was welcomed to the stage with a blaze of lighter flames and improvised torches that shot some flames as high as four feet into the air.

He sang first with Tanto Metro, another member of the Shockin Vibes crew, and then combined with Silver Cat before he sang the reggae version of the song "Lean On Me''.

Sanchez's loveman tenor and haunting lyrics complimented superbly by his low haircut, sparkling red suit and relaxed delivery, engineered an unmistakable rapport with some female members of the audience and it was not surprising when he too was asked back for an encore.

He sang several popular songs; among them were "Missing You'', "Brown Eyed Girl'' and the Sisters With Voices' hit "Weak''.

Bounty Killer was the last performer for the night and mixed some conscious lyrics into his act but the late hour -- it was almost 2.00 a.m. when he came on -- meant that only the hardcore dancehall fans were able to enjoy his performance.

Overall, this Bermuda Concert Promoters event lived up to its advertising. It started on time, displayed a healthy mix of local talent at an excellent venue which was spacious enough to hold more than 2,000 people comfortably with plenty of room to dance and walk about.

However, more care could have been taken with the stage. The white backdrop was aesthetically repugnant. Advertising billboards may be necessary but are visually mundane.

John Burchall