courtesy of: The Morning News
By Rosalie Klein
It has always been the tradition of the Soul Beach Music Festival to end their series of Memorial Day weekend concerts with a flourish; the riveting performances of Melanie Fiona an R. Kelly at the Nikky Beach Amphitheater on Sunday evening certainly did not disappoint what easily had to be more than 10,000 people packing the beach on Aruba’s south shore and the festival’s best attended concert to date.
This year, the Aruba Tourism Authority and Soul Beach producers added and extra bit of excitement. Concert goers were asked to fill out a brief questionnaire for which they received and attractive gift and the opportunity to win a trip back to Aruba, including hotel and airfare.
Islanders and vacationers came to see and be seen, while enjoying great music from local band Youth Extreme, who opened the show. However it was the show-stopping performances of Melanie Fiona and R. Kelly, who gave their all to the audiences that will be endlessly tweeted, particularly by those lucky female fans who answered R Kelly’s call.
“Where are all the ladies?” he shouted after a few minutes into his first number. “We’re here to rock the house and how can I do it without these great sexy ladies close by? I am not going on another minute until I have those ladies close by; I am not singing to cameras, I am singing to ladies-where are those sexy ladies?”
The press section was immediately cleared and all the female audience members who had been lined up just beyond the barrier were ushered in close to the stage and treated to a handshake or caress from their idol. He played directly to the audience, continually acknowledging their presence and his gratitude for their appreciation. Though he demonstrated his vast range with a number of hits, it was his heartfelt rendition of “I Believe I Can Fly” that had thousands of voices joining in on the chorus and soaring through the night. It was indeed a thrilling performance and a spectacular end to this year’s festival.
