One promoter calls for a revamp or scale down

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Started many years ago to add something different to the party scene, it now seems as if the concept of 'oldies' parties is being overused.

Earlier this year, there were 'oldies' events like Stir It Up at Palisadoes, Yesterday in Portmore and Different Strokes in Negril. And, at least two major events of this nature are held monthly.

Having started Stir It Up 10 years ago, promoter Desmond 'Hard Earz' Steele believes the theme is being used too often. As a fan of Good Times that was started some years before his event, he said he started Stir It Up to cater to persons who grew up listening to 80s and 90s music.

"It is being overused and it has been played out. When you look at the parties outside of oldies parties, you can change them up and turn them into anything. When you have an 80s, 90s party, that's just it," he said.

Since events like Good Times, Stir It Up and Yesterday began, he said similar parties like Footloose, Mello Vibes and Yush joined the list. These events, he said, are held two or more times per year. This is in addition to other venues that offer the same eras of music on a weekly basis.

"When you go to oldies parties, it's the same music and people are getting tired of them. We need to scale down or revamp," he told THE STAR.

"It's too many of them. The 80s 90s crowd are genuine working people. They have bills, so when they get their salaries they have to budget it, so they can't attend all of them. You can't get the same thing everyday and expect it to be entertaining," Steele added.

While he believes the concept is being overused, Steele said he would not tell other promoters to stop keeping their events. However, on his side, he said he would be trying to add something new to Stir It Up.

Jerome Hamilton, a member of the promotions team for Good Times, said he would not say the concept is 'played out'. Instead, he believes more persons have become promoters.

"I think there are so much more people who have gone into the party business. There is more of a lot of parties, not just oldies parties. So you have more persons competing for a smaller pie," he said, adding that Good Times started in 1996.

While these retro events may be plenty, Hamilton said, "it's sometimes a better bet than traditional events."

Coming to the fore with a new type of retro party called New Millennium, promoter Ibrahim Konteh said some of these 'oldies' parties have similar offerings.

"All of them are basically the same thing. You have trailblazers but I find that most, not all, of these events are doing the same thing. However, it could mean that there is a demand because some of them still get a good turnout," he said, noting that a bit of creativity could be added.

As a result, Konteh said he decided to offer retro with a twist, as New Millennium, which was held recently, featured music from the 2000s.

"For persons in the 18 to 25 age group, our retro would be music from the 2000s coming up. Normally, at a party when that era of music is played, you get a good reception from persons who are 18 to 25. It is still a retro thing but something different. We plan to continue because the buzz for it is great. For sure, the next one will be in September and we take it from there," he told THE STAR.