By Renuka Singh who was at Panorama on Sunday.
Carnival’s return to the Savannah, despite all the nostalgic hype and a three year absence, did not seem to improve the Panorama experience. The homecoming was bitter-sweet last Sunday for while the die-hard pan enthusiasts relived the former grandeur of pan finals of the past; the younger generation seemed to be more interested in the night long party unfolding at the back of the famous North Stand. To the older die hard pan fans, who waited throughout the day for their ‘side’ to grace the stage, the resurrected North and Grand Stands merely transplanted Carnivals of the past into the present day with a few minor annoyances.
While the loyal pan fans denounced the fete atmosphere as disrespectful to the national instrument and the art of pan playing and the National Carnival Council (NCC) recorded over 20,000 people at the event, the stands themselves were scanty. Though tickets were quickly sold out and scalpers upped their profit by as much as 100 per cent, the stands themselves were not well populated.
Corporate-sponsored groups mobbed around coolers and some enterprising promoters cashed in on the “all-inclusive” Panorama experience but the real party was taking place and the back of the North Stand, where soca artistes paid impromptu visits to a makeshift sound stage and a high-tech rhythm section jammed to the delight of the thousands crammed into the tight area between the stand and the exit. The announcers oftentimes had to call for quiet before allowing the on-stage panside to start its performance.
When that was either unheard or just ignored, they then called for police to break up the rowdier rhythm sections and jam sessions before the pannists could play. To those who paid over $300 to actually hear the pan, the partiers’ indifference was
testament to the waning interest in the truer aspects of the local culture.
Both stands cost an estimated $50 million to rebuild and according to the NCC could hold 15,000 in the Grand Stand and another 8,000 in the North Stand, many of the “fans” did not even make it to the freshly built stands, instead they chose to party “behind the stands”.
The longstanding pan fans, many of whom condemned the destruction of both stands three years ago enjoyed the sedate pace of a “North Stand lime”, while the more energetic youngsters celebrated the fete atmosphere outside the stands. Pan lovers though feel that it is that feting spirit that may threaten the future of Panorama.
Despite the difference of opinion over the proper way to celebrate the National instrument, Panorama is an experience. Long lost friends reconnect over a quick cocktail, mixed by the nearest temporary bartender, friends bring coolers of food and drink and strangers offer ice in exchange for some of the ready brew. People joke that they only see each other once a year at Panorama, a true melting pot for the citizenry. While some people came in from as early as 7 am to stake out a good spot, others just dropped their coolers where they could and moved on to meet and greet their buddies.
While the future of pan is under some question, the future of Panorama and partying is alive and well in Carnival central, Trinidad and Tobago.
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