The Queen of the Dancehall, Spice, made her long-awaited return to the Jamaican stage this weekend, much to the absolute delight of her local fans.
After her devastating battle with a post-op near-death experience last year, Spice has made her glorious return to her throne as Queen of the Stage. The international dancehall star recently revealed that she had a serious health scare in October and almost died in the Dominican Republic following the horrendous ill-health ripple effect spurred on by a hernia and consequent sepsis shock that almost claimed her life.
The dancehall veteran described the horrific experience during a live session on her Instagram about a month ago, withholding none of the gruesome details. Amid the life-changing ordeal, Spice has claimed a newfound appreciation for life, classifying it as her second chance. The deejay has since released songs in perfect alignment with this rebirth, taking every opportunity possible to glorify The Most High for saving her life.
On Saturday night, fans stood patiently waiting for the “Go Down Deh” hitmaker to make her highly anticipated return to the stage at the Montego Bay Stadium. Following a captivating performance by the self-proclaimed King of Dancehall, Beenie Man, the Queen made her way to center stage to finally satiate the longing appetite of her fans, dubbed “besties” by the artist herself. The crowd went wild at the sight of the dancehall star, who was clad in a shimmery blue bodysuit, donning her signature blue hair in the form of a pixie cut.
Spice came out with hits blazing, kicking things off with old classic “Romantic Mood” in a high-energy entrance that saw the crowd go wild as fans sang the track word for word while the dancehall star showed off her impeccable ability to sing and twerk at a less than 90-degree angle at the same time. Her backup dancers also displayed some impressive acrobatic moves on the club-like poles mounted on stage as Spice’s set also included hits like “So Mi Like It,” “Clap Clap,” and, of course, her signature performance song, Sheet.
The Grammy-nominated artist took the time out during her performance in the wee hours of Sunday morning to send big ups to Bounty Killer, who she said was instrumental at the beginning of her career. She also included a tribute for the incarcerated dancehall mogul Vybz Kartel with whom she not only shares a tight bond but also the Billboard-hit “Romping Shop,” which she also performed. During the tribute, the crowd could be heard chanting “Free Vybz Kartel” as the backup pole dancers-turned-ring girls strutted around the stage carrying huge posters of Vybz Kartel.
In another segment of her performance, Spice expressed her utter gratitude to her fans in a moment of silence. She thanked those who supported and prayed for her during her dire health crisis. The dancehall star quickly followed up with her newer releases, including the reggae track “Spice Marley,” which was released exactly a month ago in March. The positive reception to the track was quite moving as fireworks erupted from behind the stage, putting the icing on the performance cake.
Spice’s performance on Sunday morning in Montego Bay marks her first performance in Jamaica since her return to the dancehall arena in recent months.
