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Miami Carnival
October 6-8, 2007
Miami, Florida
The FOX INC. girls are heading down to Miami for Carnival ‘07. We just couldn't get there fast enough. Finally we landed and it was sunny. Wait did I say sunny, I meant rainy! I didn't think it was going to rain the entire time we’d be there. Rain or no rain, I had a feeling this weekend was going to be hot.
That Friday night was the first night of the Socavivor series. It was an all-night concert at Bayside Hut on Key Biscayne. Having been up since 6 that morning and hopped-up on Red Bull, we were off to, well, we really didn't know where. We just knew one thing - we had to see Collie Buddz and Machel Montano.
After a long wait to park and walking a mile from the parking lot to the venue, we arrived just in time to see Collie. The performance was good but he couldn’t seem to get the crowd going. (Everyone was probably there for soca and didn’t know what to do when one of the hottest voices in reggae came on). Then they brought on a few other bands that I wasn't very familiar with, and well, I got bored. Just when I though things were going to get dull, it started to pour - thunder and lighting for about 15 minutes. Next thing I know, I'm not sure how it happened or how it was decided but we were running through the crowed and pushing our way to the front; it was the best decision we made that night.
Between Tony Matterhorn, NY DJ Steele Bashment, HOT97’s Jabba and D-life, Iwer George, Shurwayne Winchester and Machel Montano, the crowd was jumping. There was a full-on mosh pit, and some random guy kept jumping off of the stage into the crowd and we were all caught up in a crazy melee. We were stepping in water (I really didn’t know what was in it), and then there was some chick that decided to wear heels and proceeded to jump on my feet. When Machel finally came on after 6am (24hrs since we’d been up), everyone just broke loose dancing, singing and going crazy. At one point, it really didn’t feel like we were in Miami; it felt like we were in Jamaica or some island - the vibe was definitely there. It’s so hard to explain in words how great this event was, with all the different countries and cultures and music represented. The show ended after 7am and we dragged ourselves back to the hotel, covered in mud and dirty water.
Saturday night we decided to take it easy because we wanted to wake up early for carnival the next morning. Let’s just say in short that not everything goes as one plans - we ended up discovering the South Beach scene that night and totally missed the carnival. What I can tell you is that I heard it was nice and lots of fun but perhaps next year I’ll have more details.
On our final night, we decided to go to Jabba Strikes Back; we heard Bongos was the only place to be. The music was going to be great and who knows what would happen or who would show up. If the line that stretched around the corner was any indication, we were in for a great time. Inside, Jabba was hyping up the crowd, and Miami sound system Black Chiney came on and really got the party jumping with the latest dubplates. Then, imagine if you will, Tony Matterhorn deejaying and chatting on top of a speaker, and everyone in a club in Miami screaming “BROOKLYN” from Steelie’s NYC-themed set. It was off the chain!
I must say this was the end of a great weekend in Miami. Even though carnival was a bust, we still got to see everyone we wanted, and more importantly all the music we wanted to hear. The parties were filled with people just wanting to have a great time, and you could definitely feel the love for the music and love for every island in the air. I can’t wait for next year and I promise you that we will make it to the actual carnival.
- Michelle <3
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