It’s 1998 and Isaiah Laing is backstage at Sting. Zebra, arguably the hottest act in dancehall, is on stage with Beenie Man waiting in the wings. Laing noticed something that night on December 26.
“Beenie Man did nervous, yuh coulda see it. Not because him ‘fraid a Zebra, but a dat Sting do to every artist,” he said.
Laing launched the 40th anniversary of ‘The Greatest One Night Show on Earth’, on November 28 in New Kingston, Jamaica’s main business district.
Several of the acts billed for this year’s event, scheduled for its traditional Boxing Day date, attended the launch including hot deejay Fully Bad and singer Tanya Stephens.
The latter is part of ’10 Giants of Sting’ who will be featured this year. Bounty Killer, Capleton, Fantan Mojah, Turbulence, Anthony B, Spragga Benz, Macka Diamond, Tommy Lee Sparta and Bugle are the other ‘giants’.
Ever the pitchman, Laing boasts that Sting retains the buzz that many artists dread when they perform on it.
“Sting is like a nervous moment, no matter how big the star is,” he said.
A former police officer, Laing first staged Sting in 1984 at Cinema 2 in New Kingston. Sugar Minott and his protégé Tenor Saw were headliners.
Sting became dancehall’s version of the Roman coliseum, with verbal clashes between top acts like Super Cat, Ninjaman, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Merciless, Papa San, Lieutenant Stitchie, Lady Saw and Macka Diamond.
The show made a comeback in 2022 after a seven-year break. That gig took place at Plantation Cove in rural St. Ann parish; this year, Sting returns to the Jamworld Complex, located in Portmore, on the outskirts of Kingston.
That venue was the scene for some of its greatest moments and Isaiah Laing is confident the fans will turn out in numbers for his show’s 40th birthday party.
“People will come out because Sting is still the biggest thing in dancehall. Many dancehall artist wouldn’t reach where dem is without Sting,” he said.
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