SuperBlue confident of ninth Road March (with CNC3 video)

Revellers couldn’t resist Austin “SuperBlue” Lyons’ Fantastic Friday. They went in a frenzy to the sound of the horn in the song’s introduction and then let themselves loose as they bounced on the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah yesterday.

Some had their bottles of water and powder in hand and waited for the words “water and powder” to throw the contents in the air. Float, the song by defending Road March champ Machel Montano was played many times and some male masqueraders made attempts to “float.”

The song, however wasn’t as popular as Fantastic Friday. Several DJ’s on the music trucks kept the revellers’ energy high saying “Super. Super. Super.” If Lyons wins the Road March title, it will be his ninth win in the prestigious competition. When he won in 1980, 1981 and 1983, he went by the sobriquet BlueBoy. He then changed to SuperBlue in 1991, winning the title with hits like Bacchanal Time and Signal for Lara.

Super Blue dominates Carnival 2013

It will be Montano’s sixth win should Float emerge the song most played. Last year, the 38-year-old copped the title with Pump Yuh Flag. It was played 233 times at seven judging points. When band Renegades made its way across the stage around 2.15 pm, band members moved to the tune of Fantastic Friday on the steelpan.

Float was the only song played when Island People Mas and its ten sections crossed the stage in 29 minutes and 40 seconds. Masqueraders in their colourful costumes jammed, gyrated and wined as low as they could. There were 78 bands expected to cross the final judging point at the savannah yesterday—15 large, 17 small, 12 medium and 24 mini.

Between 1.30 pm and 6 pm close to 15 bands had made their way across the stage.

Fantastic feeling

Lyons said he had a “fantastic feeling” about the Road March competition. In a brief interview, he said he was confident about winning the competition. His hit song Fantastic Friday was well ahead of Montano’s Float by 1 pm yesterday. Last Friday, he tied with Montano for first place in the International Power Soca Monarch competition. The two songs are the top Road March contenders.

Lyons, who was sitting quietly in the Tourism Development Company box at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, wearing his trademark blue headscarf, said his return to and win at Soca Monarch was “beautiful.” He added that he did not expect to make any guest appearances or performances yesterday and instead chose to spend the day with family and friends.

SUPERBLUE WINS

Austin Lyons’ Road March wins as Superblue and Blue Boy

•2000-Pump Up (tied with Iwer George)
•1995- Signal to Lara
•1993-Bacchanal Time
•1992-Jab Jab
•1991-Get Something and Wave (formerly Blue Boy)
•1983-Rebecca (Blue Boy)
•1981-Ethel (Blue Boy)
•1980-Soca Baptist (Blue Boy)