Tony Rebel—
With plans for the 2015 staging of Rebel Salute in high gear, promoter Tony Rebel says he has a wonderful show in store for his loyal patrons.
When the show is held on January 16 and 17 at Plantation Cove, St Ann, Tony Rebel says patrons will be in for a treat.
“They can expect a wonderful show, just like we always have. There will also be wonderful performances. We are going to have a beautiful show in St Ann. We always try to give the patrons the best and we will try to do that next year,” he told The Gleaner, noting that some of the confirmed acts for the show are Inner Circle, Third World, Luciano, Jesse Royal, Echo Minott, Iba MaHr and Alborosie.
Inner Circle
He explained that preparations for the show have been going well and he was even on a cruise recently promoting the event to foreigners.
Now a two-day event, Tony Rebel says Rebel Salute has grown since it was moved from St Elizabeth to St Ann in 2013, and staged in two days as opposed to one.
Perfecting the format
“We just want to work assiduously to perfect the format we brought to St Ann,” he said.
He added that the event has also been beneficial to the wider community. “It has been good. We have more than 900 hotels filled. It is better there, people can come for the weekend and there are other attractions close by,” Rebel said.
He added that the venue is larger, more secure and has a better scenery. He said it is also more central and easier for persons from across the island to attend. According to Rebel, the central location and two-day format has also led to an increase in attendance. “It definitely increased from when we were in St Elizabeth. Last year there were thunderstorms all around and we still had a good show,” he told The Gleaner.
While there have been benefits of having the show over two days, he says the workload has also increased.
“Hosting for two days is a little bit harder, but most of the things would have been in place for the second day,” he said, adding that the two-day change came out of requests from patrons.
Meanwhile, Tony Rebel says he is still talking to sponsors. The Jamaica Tourist Board, however, has already confirmed their support of the event.
sadeke.brooks@gleanerjm.com