The musical battle among the top steel orchestras, with a total of $11 million in prize money at stake, takes place tomorrow night at the Queen's Park Savannah. The blink/bmobile event began with the preliminaries with a total of 90 entrants. Of the ten medium bands in the finals, three will play the Mark Loquan/Ken Philmore/Destra Garcia composition, titled Calling Meh, while two others are going with Wake Up.
At the end of the semifinals, two of the three large bands with the highest scores-PCS Silver Stars and Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars-played It's Showtime by Edwin Pouchet/ Alvin Daniell, while Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove played Len Boogsie Sharpe's interpretation of Do Something For Pan.
Steel Xplosion and PCS Silver Stars will be defending their respective titles, with the former playing at number five in its category and the latter drawing position eight. Also in the finals are four Tobago steel orchestras. Tomorrow night's event will end the season's play-off with a $2 million first prize. Showtime is 7 pm with ten bands playing in the medium category, followed by an equal number of large bands.
THE line-up
MEDIUM BANDS SELECTION ARRANGER
1 Pan Elders A Raging Storm Alvin Gittens
2 Power Stars It's Showtime Arddin Herbert
3 Katzenjammers Wake Up Edwin Pouchet
4 NLCB Buccooneers Calling Meh Seion Gomez
5 Steel Xplosion Wake Up Carlton Alexander
6 Pamberi TKO Brian Villafana
7 Sangre Grande Cordettes Calling Meh Andes Kappel
8 Valley Harps Do Something For Pan Michelle Huggins-Watts
9 Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille Calling Meh Ken "Professor" Philmore
10 Arima Angel Harps TKO Shelton Besson
LARGE BANDS SELECTION ARRANGER
1 Neal & Massy T'dad All Stars It's Showtime Leon "Smooth" Edwards
2. Sagicor Exodus Calling Meh Pelham Goddard
3. NLCB Fonclaire A Raging Storm Ken "Professor" Philmore
4. Petrotrin Phase 11 Pan Groove Do Something For Pan Len "Boogsie" Sharpe
5. Witco Desperadoes Trini Beverly Griffith/A Robley/Eddie Quarless
6. Starlift In She Rainorama Liam Teague
7. Caribbean Airlines Invaders Doh Be On Dat Arddin Herbert
8. PCS Silver Stars It's Showtime Edwin Pouchet
9. Petrotrin Siparia Deltones Trini Carlton Alexander
10. RBC/RBTT Redemption Sound Setters Showtime Winston Gordon