About five hours ago, I walked home from STAGE, The Boss Edition. Don't worry, I live 15 minutes away by foot from the venue and I needed the walk to decompress. On the walk, I realized that I am at that stage of my life. The stage where I would rather go to a talk than have my entire body vibrate from the output of huge speakers.

Don't get me wrong, the show was, well, boss. The performers on the show were amazing. I shall bullet point.

• Claudette Peters wowed the crowd with her songs, performance and daring costume;
• Tian Winters knows what he is doing on the stage, but honey lose the hat. I couldn't decide if your were aiming for Amish or Freddy Krueger. And when I first saw it, I thought it was a woman's hat. I did like the performance though;
• Olatunji's hit had the people jumping up, but then he stopped too soon and pulled out songs barely anyone knew and people didn't know how to react to them. Next time babe, follow what the other recording artist did and stick to the one song you are known for and move along. Your performance was great but the fact that I didn't know the songs diminished it for me;
• I could tell why Destra Garcia is the Queen of Bachannal, she is a strong performer and her voice is amazing and she is versatile. I would have been satisfied if she was the major act and felt that my money was well spent;
• Silva, Fadda Fox and Angela Hunte did their songs justice. They have the energy to deliver them and get the crowd moving;
• The in between acts were an excellent distraction from the wait for the band change. They were fun and energetic. What was interesting was a show with a VJ;
• Now I know for sure that Machel Montano is the Boss. My God! The man has energy, the man has stage presence, the man cuss off the security for killing the vibes and call them in to escort out a man for hitting a woman. My only negative is his set was long but it has to be because the man has so many hit songs. I don't even want to think about how long he has been in the business, but if he sang every song he has ever written and/or sang, I would still be at the venue. Simply put, the man is a BOSS;
• What I loved was the camaraderie between the artists, they seemed so supportive of one another and the positivity there. To me it didn't feel phoney when Machel and Destra were singing together;
• The ladies next to us were so adorable and fun, they added to the experience.

Loved it...... but I'm not going back. In fact I question if I will be going to any fetes in the near future. Maybe just maybe I'll go again when I somehow forget:

• That people dress more daring than the performer's on the stage. My sister was questioning if some of them were even wearing underwear;
• That when I turn to the left, I see people who probably were born in the millennium. I turn to the right and I see people who vaguely know who Shabba Ranks because they were not born in the 1900's and they only know him through the song by A$AP Ferg. Then a young man begins to dance with me and I'm sure that I am more than twice his age. Ahem. awkward much?
• How rude my people can be, Machel Montano is on the stage, people! and you all want to walk somewhere in a tight as crowd. And when they walk past, they don't say or mime "excuse me" they just barge through. I wish I could knock some manners in these people's head with a 2 by 4, I'm just saying;
• That even though weed has not been decriminalized, people still puffing away on a long ass spliff up wind from me. I really don't appreciate second hand smoke, thank you very much;
• That they won't reimburse me for the drinks tickets I have, talk about $10 wasted;
• That I hate crowds, especially those that have people who were related to Speedy Gonzales and would be pushing me as I leave;
• That I don't like waking up the next day questioning if my ear drums, liver or legs will ever be the same again;
• That I am not a fan of people looking me over as though they are a buyer at a fashion show. Yes, people, I wore UPP shoes to the show. They were comfortable, they matched my outfit and they were free. In fact my whole outfit, hairstyle and make up cost me nothing and I still looked good, I can't say the same for you all who paid out of your nose. Yes, I'm letting the shade rain.

 
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying STAGE is not for the older crowd. In fact I salute those older people who come out to jam, they, too, deserve to have a good time. It's just, I'm not feeling it. For me, it's not what my life is about and I guess it took going to this event for me to see the truth and have it highlighted and underlined.

If ever I'm going to a fete, I'm going VIP and seeing how much money VIP is, I'm going no damn where.

To conclude, STAGE was a great onstage experience. I hope they renew their contract with Machel Montano because the man is the real deal, his performance was no different from international performers. In fact, the man is an international performer. I won't be there at the venue, but if they have it at the same venue, I'll be listening from my comfy bed, maybe even with ice cream.

Time to move on with the next stage of my life.

Pic: Lava International FB page
Gif: Buzzfeed