Junior Reid to hold over for missing Gregory Isaacs

In the entertainment business, the show must go on … but in the real world, and especially in Belize, when something goes wrong, there’s very little hope of getting your act together before the curtain drops. That’s what local concert promoters faced last night after their headline performer, Gregory Isaacs, went missing in action. With hundreds of tickets already sold for the Saturday night show, things looked dread. But at the eleventh hour another Jamaican performer stepped in to save the day. News Five Karla Vernon has the details of the drama.

Brian Mossiah, Concert Promoter
?Unfortunately, as you?ve heard this morning, Gregory Isaacs, well I don?t want to say absconded, but he is nowhere to be found after collecting from us and after getting his plane ticket, disappeared.?

(Junior Reid singing)

Karla Vernon
Former lead singer for Black Uhuru, Junior Reid never expected to be performing in Belize this weekend. Reid had just returned from a trip to New York to big up the Spanish version of his hit ?One Blood? when the phone rang just before midnight. Could he fill in for Gregory Isaacs? Sure he could ?drap it pan dem.?

Junior Reid, Reggae Artist
?I just hear last night, yeah bout ten, eleven o?clock. And the ticket buy last night ten, eleven o?clock. First time I see ticket place open that time to be honest.?

Karla Vernon
?And you have your sons with you this trip as possible performers??

Junior Reid
?Yes, the three of us were in the studio listing down some stuff and fixing up some stuff and we get the call and we have to just come because we work for the people; the people is our boss and if we do not come when the people call we, we get fired. And we don?t want to get fired, you understand me??

(Andrew and Wada Blood singing)

The arrival today of Junior Reid and his sons was a big relief to Martin Reyes of Exile Promotions. After the Isaacs disappearing act, their agent in Jamaica acted quickly to save the show.

Martin Reyes, Exile Promotions
?He notified us late yesterday that there might be a problem. What happened, we called an emergency meeting with Love and discussed it, looked at our alternatives. We were in communication with the agent in Jamaica all night last night and then he confirmed it this morning that Gregory was nowhere to be found. So we went ahead with the alternative plan of bringing in Junior Reid.?

Karla Vernon
?If anybody is really disappointed that it?s not Gregory Isaacs that for some reason they had purchased the tickets wanting to see him and only him, can they get a refund at this point??

Martin Reyes
?At this point, I don?t think we would have that problem because we have just as good an artist to entertain them.?

Karla Vernon
?But if anybody insists, it?s not a problem??

Martin Reyes
?We would have to come to that decision jointly between Love F.M. and ourselves, it?s not a one person decision.?

Junior Reid
?Definite it?s going to be a positive show, off the hook, something for the people dem make to talk about for the rest of life you know, so you don?t want to miss this, nobody want to miss this.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Karla Vernon.

Again we reiterate that if any ticket holder wants a refund, all monies will be reimbursed. The LOVE FM anniversary concert begins at nine p.m. at the Princess Hotel pool side. Tickets are forty dollars in advance and fifty after noon on Saturday. Junior Reid last performed in Belize in 1995.