Semi Finals Results for Large Conventional Steel Orchestras - Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama 2018

Update: Full RESULTS Summary

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - It might be down to the wire for title defenders Trinidad All Stars as they are currently in fourth place, tied with Skiffle, going into the February 10, 2018 Trinidad & Tobago National Panorama finals - but do not count these “All Stars” out. However challenger to the throne Renegades Steel Orchestra led by champion arranger Duvone Stewart is intent on holding its lead going into final night competition. The last time Renegades were Panorama champions was 1997- twenty-one years ago. Playing ‘Year For Love’ - could 2018 be the ‘Year For Renegades and Duvone Stewart?’ Time will tell. And Stewart is also leading - at this point - in the medium steel orchestra category...

The panyards of four large steel orchestras would now be more or less ‘shuttered’ after being shut out of the final ten: they are Fonclaire, Redemption Sound Setters, La Brea Nightingales and Tropical Angel Harps. Those moving forward are sure to spend the next fourteen day upping their musical game in their efforts to become 2018 champs.

Around 6:09 p.m. local time, the first of fourteen large conventional steel orchestras, South/Central’s Fonclaire, laid down the first musical salvo in the semi finals in this category of the National Panorama competition on Sunday January 28. The large bands took the Queen’s Park Savannah stage following their medium counterparts earlier in the evening.

With rousing support from band supporters, and pan lovers in the North and Grand Stands alike, once again the bands flowed on and off the stage with impressive efficiency. Several patrons expressed pleasure with this occurrence, a welcome change from the generally long time span between the bands.

Music artists Ultimate Rejects’ popular “(ITF) Inside The Festival” and “Lightning Flash” gave them the most ‘presence’ in the fourteen-band semi finals, with five steel orchestras in total going with their tracks. What was interesting is, merely by how the other bands “pulled” for order of appearance, other selections ended up being played back-to-back, thereby giving the judges what must have been an interesting comparative perspective.

Skiffle and Phase II both played “Hello” by Kes from positions four and five. Two other powerhouse steel orchestras Renegades and Desperadoes went with Voice’s “Year For Love” - from the tenth and eleventh berths. And finally - a threesome: Exodus, Tropical Angel Harps and Supernovas all served up their arrangement of Patrice Roberts’ “Sweet Fuh Days” playing in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth spots. Totally cool.

With Supernovas closing off the semi finals competition at 11:23 p.m., results for both the medium and large categories were not long in coming.

Following are the full results for the semi-finals phase of competition for large conventional steel orchestras.

Region Color Key

East Zone Region

North Zone Region

South/Central
Zone Region

Tobago Region

Tunes