by Howard Campbell
[MIAMI] – Inclement weather failed to dampen the enthusiasm of fans at Best Of The Best, at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami on May 29. A full house braved the rain as the annual show returned to its traditional date on Memorial Day Weekend.
Fans saw young dancehall turks like Yaksta, Lyrikal, soca star Patrice Roberts, Pressure Buss Pipe, Cham, Mr. Vegas, Chris Martin and perennial favorite Beres Hammond.
Ronnie Tomlinson, spokesperson for Best Of The Best 2022, described the performances and production as “epic”.
“Being an outdoor concert, weather is always a concern, but we started to see persons come out from 2 pm and by 3 pm we had several thousands on the line waiting to come in. Therefore, we knew the anticipation for the 16th staging was high,” she said.
Tomlinson added that organizers did not anticipate three hours of teeming rain but once the show got going, fans soaked up energetic sets from the acts.
“As others realized this rain was not holding up we started to see more patrons start to come in the park. The highlight was the overall show — each artist delivered and the patrons and vendors worked with the weather,” said Tomlinson.
Best Of The Best was first held in 2007 in Miami. Along with Miami Carnival and Grace Jamaica Jerk Festival, it is one of the marquee events on South Florida’s West Indian calendar.
Last year, the show was re-scheduled to October due to COVID-19. However, promoters were confident of attracting a massive turnout with a follow-up event seven months later.
