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The Changing of the Guard

Drive down Chaguaramas to Glow 2006 with NO traffic? Impossible! So its Carnival Tuesday in sweet TnT and TJJ has TnT Carnival covered like no one ever has before. This TJJ street team is doing the trifecta, well boy, all grand charge aside, after AWOL we could ah call it a day! But then who would have C2K6 on lock like Sauce d Doubles man secret recipe? Two tuh go we movin, it's our civic duty! :-)

So bap bap, straight form Maracas to Glow "Exotica", clear sailing all the way. Parking was also a breeze and scalpers was in dey bed. Get the picture? Could it be a changing of the guard or is it that is rain whole day? (see AWOL). We could remember the days when there was no way you could get to Glow with no traffic. And yuh had to park what seemed like rong d savannah and walk to the dance.

So it's about 11:30 PM and we in the house. From the set up of the party we could tell that they did not anticipate the massive crowds from back in the day, open spaces where bars once stood. There is R&B recording artiste Genuine just outside his limo, likin' himself in a photo op, surrounded by the exquisite perfection - that is a TRINI woman! He would be performing tonight as well. Genuine signing soca ... hiyayai, after one time is two yes :-) ... time to make a spin through the crowd.

Now we still quite nice form earlier festivities so we swaying through the crowd and headed for the stage. You ever see a Trini beauty in all white under a florescent lamp? Well imagine a fete full of them. The vibes in the fete was nice; performances by all the usual suspects minus Xtatik, who was in Eyes Wide Shut Carnivale. No scene, we headed there later tuh link up ah next TJJ street team. These "In your Timing" dudes Surge, that is a big big tune, and ah feel it could go international. Question is why they don't let a band back them up like everybody else? How yuh go have a big big tune like that actually cause a lull in the party after a band just buss up d dance because the party stop, the band leave, and here you come to perform over a track. That eh mek it at all at all.

So although this was definitely not the Glow from back in the day, the dance was still on and popin'. After all, Island Style's Glow is like a Carnival staple. There were lots of grown and sexy in the VIP section of the fete of course. The difference is that in the rest of the fete, the younger generation outnumbers the grown and sexy crowd a bit more now than in previous years. Nothing wrong with dat, everybody need somewhere tuh go and have a good time.

They still have Glow DC, NY, Miami and Toronto and the crowd is still predominantly grown and sexy, so it's probably just a matter of what your options are. If Glow trying to reinvent itself by callin' it Glow "Exotica" it didn't work, it's the same ole Glow. A changing of the guard? Maybe, we'll leave that for you to decide. The fete still is, and may well be one of the premiere events for Carnival for some time to come, just with a shifting demographic. Nothing stays the same forever folks. We headin tuh number 3 in the trifecta... TJJ signing out from Mobs 2.