*** Thousands turned out to Bernard Field Saturday night to `shock out' to the world's number one dancehall reggae artist.

And in what was Beenie Man's fourth performance in Bermuda, he defended his title as a talented entertainer and quintessential crowd-pleaser.

As the Blaze band took centre stage, one of the promoters took me to the stretch of field behind the tent where Beenie Man, aka Moses Davis, was relaxing in a taxi.

We made our introductions and he flashed his charming trademark style -- reminding me that his nickname is, after all, "The Gals Dem Sugar''.

When I asked him what was the secret of his immense crossover popularity, his response was immediate: "Me!'' "Music is my only trade -- I'm not a mechanic, I'm not a carpenter, and I'm not an engineer,'' he said.

"I create style, and I don't repeat... you've gotta be real in everything you do.'' After an intro like that, I was really looking forward to his performance...but while waiting for him to storm the stage, I had a remarkably good time enjoying the pre-concert vibe.

Ordinarily, I don't pay a huge amount of attention to the pre-concert DJing -- but Atlanta's Apache Kid and Bermuda's own Playboy deserve lavish praise for setting the mood and keeping the crowd blissful until the Blaze band's 10:30 p.m. appearance.

Apache Kid pulled out some old 45s and played tunes such as "Telephone Love'' as well as vintage Shelly Thunder and Tenor Saw until the entire crowd was bubbling.

And Playboy mixed cutting-edge hip-hop and R&B tunes that catered to the younger members of the audience.

It's often the case where opening acts in reggae shows fall flat -- especially with listless local crowds, people save their energy for the headliners and virtually ignore intro bands.

But Beenie Man's Shocking Vibes crew -- including the Blaze band, Little Kirk, and Tanto Metro -- did an excellent job of chumming up the waters for Beenie Man's entrance.

Little Kirk provided beautiful vocal accompaniment to Tanto Metro's hardcore dancehall style.

And Tanto Metro got the crowd moving with a risque remix of Wyclef Jean's "Gone Til November''.

Beenie Man hit the stage about 11.20 p.m. greeted by the sound of the audiences uproarious applause, decked out in a bright red suit, black satin shirt, and a red fedora with a white band.

He performed tirelessly for the next hour-and-a-half until the crowd was fully shocked out.

He began the show with some of his older tunes as well as hits from last year's album "Maestro'' including "Yaw Yaw'', "New Suzuki'', "Wickedest Slam'' "Tear Off Mi Garment'' and "Nobody Knows''.

Beenie Man's talent as a top-notch performer shone through when he wowed audiences with a tap-dancing routine during a rendition of "Nuff Gal''.

And his sense of humour was evident when he began telling Bill Clinton jokes while singing "Old Dog'' and moonwalking while doing a parody of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean''.

He also performed a few of the selections from his latest platinum-selling album, "Many Moods of Moses'' including "Bookshelf'', "Tell Me (What You Want)'', and the title track.

Beenie Man promised the crowd at the beginning of the concert: "You know when you come to a Beenie Man show, you get everything.'' He followed up his comments with unexpected songs such as Bobby Brown's 1980s hit "My Prerogative'', a hip-hop remix of "Guantanamera'', and "Dollar Wine''.

All in all, the concert treated the audience to a wide range of Moses' many moods -- and each one was a winner.

KIM DISMONT ROBINSON