Sparks Fly at Bonafide Fest

Montego Bay lit up like a love-struck teenager on Sunday night as the Bonafide Fest Mother's Day Concert rocked the Montego Bay Stadium in Catherine Hall, with six hours of non-stop musical magic.

However, if anyone stole the show, it was Mr Big Deal himself, Christopher Martin, who strolled on stage at 1:15 a.m. and made it feel like the party had just started. Clad in charisma and oozing charm, Martin had women swooning and men nodding in agreement as he belted out his mama anthem Mama before sliding into his smooth Cheater's Prayer.

By the time he cheekily asked for his 'wife' and 'girlfriend' to be friends, the crowd was howling with laughter, and singing along like it was confession time in a dancehall revival.

Every act hit. No misses.

From gospel firestarter Kevin Downswell, who dragged church straight into the stadium and had fans raising hands like they were catching the Holy Ghost, to Tessanne Chin, who turned the heat up in a red pantsuit and told the women to Try, the concert was flames from start to finish.

Chin delivered back-to-back classics like Breakfast in Bed and Rocksteady, before tearing hearts open with Bridge Over Troubled Water. And just when folks thought she was done, she summoned her inner rebel with Jimmy Cliff's Rebel in Me.

The girl was on fire.

The Jets, from Minnesota with Pacific island roots, didn't just show up, they moonwalked into the hearts of the audience with killer moves and throwback grooves. Their tribute to promoter Virginia Toalepai had the ladies melting like warm cheese on festival bread.

Then came the slow jam legends themselves, Atlantic Starr, who hit the stage close to 1 a.m. and had every Secret Lover crawling out of the woodwork. Once they dropped Masterpiece and the timeless Always, it was clear: these weren't just old school hits, they were relationship milestones.

"People made babies to this song!" quipped one excited fan, clutching her chest as Melessa Pierce belted the final chorus.

Bonafide Reggae Band, the hometown heroes from Mt Salem now making waves in Las Vegas, pulled at heartstrings with You Are My Everything, a sweet tribute to their mom, Yvonne Edwards. Co-founder Jr. Stephens promised this wouldn't be a one-time fling.

"We're making this an annual thing," he said. "Jamaica deserves it."

Mackie Conscious opened the night with that cool Montego Bay vibe, setting the pace for an event that gave everything, vocals, vibes, vintage grooves, and just the right amount of church and cheek.

Bonafide Fest didn't just deliver a concert, it delivered a moment. A memory. A movement. Mothers were honoured, lovers were serenaded, and Montego Bay danced all night under the stars.