A casually dressed Brian McKnight had female fans at the annual Ladies Night Out concert eating out of the palm of his hands as he took to the stage last Friday at 10 pm.
The American R&B singer-songwriter who was the show's international feature act, proved he indeed had the formula to get a Trini crowd going with soul music in the middle of the Carnival season.
Women virtually tripped over themselves and screamed at the top of their lungs as the star lifted his T-shirt to reveal well-defined abs. McKnight who has been nominated several times for both the American Music and Grammy Awards, delivered several of his ballads and chart-toppers including Anytime, Back At One, Again and an uptempo version of I Might Just Fall. But it was when the Buffalo, New York native performed his 90s hit Last Cry, that the crowd went wild–taking over the verses and chorus.
McKnight is known for his strong falsetto voice and hit the high notes effortlessly, leaving fans wanting more as his half-hour performance ended.
The R&B singer was supposed to serenade Denise Belfon, Fay-Ann Lyons, Destra Garcia and Nadia Batson but instead just presented Lyons with a bouquet of flowers before leaving the stage.
All four were also presented with awards for their outstanding contribution to the artform and commitment to the show which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
The event put on by Randy Glasgow Productions was an overall success. The organisers must be praised for a tightly organised show, with very few long delays between performances.
Prior to McKnight, crowd favourite Kes the Band opened the show at roughly 9 pm.
They set the pace for the other soca giants like Nadia Batson, who showed off her slimmed-down figure in a body-hugging red and black outfit. She got the crowd going with her popular 2013 offerings Manager and Shangri-La.
Soca's "royal couple," Ian "Bunji Garlin" Alvarez and Fay-Ann Lyons "locked down" the stadium when they hit the stage. The high-energy pair created a stir among fans when Orange Sky's Nigel Rojas appeared on stage strumming his guitar which signaled it was time for 2013 "Carnival anthem" Differentology.
Bunji wowed the crowd with his trademark free styling, before apologising to fans for his absence from the International Soca Monarch. He then called on the crowd to support his father-in-law Austin "Super Blue" Lyons in the Power Monarch category.
Other performers at Ladies Night Out were Shurwayne Winchester, Pelf, Iwer George, Destra Garcia, Singing Sandra, Roy Cape All Stars with Blaxx and Calypso Rose who took the crowd on a trip down memory lane with her classics Fire, Fire and the 1977 Road March Gimme More Tempo.
Closing act Denise "Saucy Wow" Belfon ensured the night ended on a high. Belfon delivered her huge 2013 Carnival hit Wining Queen with an extended demonstration of the wining and "sticking" for which she is famous.
She then touted her credentials for the Soca Monarch competition by demanding, "All who say that I am taking the Groovy Monarch on Fantastic Friday make some noise for me please!"
Belfon then sang classics like Jamette, Bicycle, and Dance and Dingolay for which she brought on her provocatively-named Whips and Chains Dancers.
At the 2 am close, fans streamed out the National Stadium, voicing satisfaction with an action-packed show.