6 POINTS about the PALM BEACH HAITIAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL!

[kompamagazine]

1) *LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE: Great backstage area, very spacious, no aggressive security people wanting to prove/make a point to their bosses, or to flex their muscles in a position of power. POLICE OFFICERS were the ones taking care of all of that, and they were very friendly and helpful, while at the same time making sure that you have proper credentials to be roaming around where you are. The SOFAS/COUCHES, as well as the fans (ventilateurs) in the backstage area was also a huge plus...if your feet get tired of standing, as well as the hot weather that was out that day.

2) *PARKING: The parking for the festival is right next to the park where it is being held. This was my first time attending this festival and I couldn't believe how close it was...just a small walk from the stage.

3) *NO HASSLES/HEADACHES FOR THE CREDENTIALS: As soon as I got there, right there close to the gate was the festival owner FRANTZ, who accommodated me right away and made me feel welcome. NO Ego or power trip whatsoever, which is very refreshing to see.

4) *THE HOST/HOSTESS: KEED COULGI & MISTY JEAN: I liked the chemistry and Vibe between the two. It was NOT rehearsed (Did not feel like it), it felt fresh and spontaneous. A couple of times I saw KEED COULGI take a skit somewhere and MISTY just went along with it with no hangups whatsoever. I wasn't always there in front of the stage to see ALL their interactions (Because I was backstage talking to artists/promoters IN BETWEEN SETS); but the ones that I saw...they did their jobs.

5) *LINEUP: It was a heavyweight lineup with many of the top bands in the business. A testament to how serious the bands take this festival.

6) *TIME MANAGEMENT FOR THE BANDS: Despite all these many good points that I pointed out about the festival, many of the bands towards the end felt RUSHED off the stage. DJAKOUT, TVICE, KLASS did NOT get a good amount of time to perform. GABEL and CARIMI did NOT even perform...and they were both there. NU LOOK, JBEATZ, and X-TASSY did manage to play an ok amount of time COMPARED TO THE OTHER BANDS.....but it's still no excuse because I am sure the fans probably expected to see them play MORE than what they did.

We are not sure the reason why it all went that way towards the end as we have not been able to talk to owner Frantz about the show; but I am sure in due time we'll hear something. I can certainly understand some fans being upset if they did not get the chance to see CERTAIN BANDS at all, or other bands for less time than they probably thought they would. If this was a festival that was in their 5th year on up, the criticism would have been harsher, but doing a festival is NOT easy, so basically in year 3 of a festival, you are still considered a baby that's growing up. HOPEFULLY that is something that the festival will work to fix in next year's edition, which will be their 4th.

ALL IN ALL, this festival is still learning as it goes along. It was only their 3rd year, so we'll have to put that into consideration when judging what went down at the end of the festival; having said that.....They can't repeat that same mistake next year.

I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE FESTIVAL with all the interactions, as well as the acts that I got the chance to see perform. KEEP YOUR HEAD UP FRANTZ....You have something GOOD going on here...Let's keep up the good work and make it better next year.

PEACE!

KM!