STING, How it All Began

0 Comment written below
 Unless you live under a rock, that is the only way you would not know about the greatest one night reggae show on earth, but many are not aware how the show came in to being so here is little trip down memory lane about the 'History of Sting'

Believe it or not, Sting owes its beginnings to a simple problem that had popped up: Isaiah Laing needed a car. The year was 1984, and Isaiah Laing, then a corporal in the Jamaica Constabulary Force, decided to keep an event so that he could raise enough money to buy a car because as a top crimefighter, he "coulden take the same bus as the criminals". Laing was no novice in the area of entertainment events, as he had been organizing dances from as early as April 1983 in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. However, Sting was a natural progression for the top crimefighters.
And so, in 1984 Sting was born at Cinema I in New Kingston. The name was inspired by a local popular slang: "Sting yuh a sting an' a shock you a shock!". The name was further reinforced when dee jay, Michael Palmer who was famous for his hit: "Dem a Lick Shot" saw Laing and asked to be on the show. He said " a me a sting an yu a di boss!". The first year saw over 4,000 patrons turning out at Cinema II, to see top flight deejay Papa San and Junior Reid, who was a debutante on the professional stage at this time. The admission was then JA-$ 20, From the proceeds, Laing eventually bought a Toyota Corolla. What he did not expect was that he had established an event that would serve as the launching pad for the careers of hundreds of artistes. By virtue of its cultural significance, it has played an integral role in the history of Jamaica's music as"The Greatest One Night Reggae Show On Earth". Sting has become a proving ground, an exercise in one-upmanship on the stage that it is simply the calendar event that the entire entertainment fraternity looks forward to every year. It is the benchmark by which artistes are weighed and sometimes found wanting.
After 1984, Sting was subsequently held at Cinema II until 1986 when over 13.000 patrons packed the venue to see Tiger buss the place with the humorous ode against greed, "No Wanga Gut, No Wanga Belly". Given the turnout, the promoters were forced to relocate the show to the more upscale and upscale Cinema I grounds for the following year's staging of the event. In 1987, over 22,000 patrons shelled out JA-$ 40, to witness the inaugural Four The Hard Way between speed-talker Papa San and Lieutenant Stitchie, Admiral Bailey and Professor Nuts. Leading the singers' line-up were Pinchers, Leroy Gibbons and Frankie Paul, who were managed by Laings company, Supreme Productions Limited. At this time, Supreme Productions Limited had expanded, and functioned as an artiste management outfit and a booking agency, in addition to show coordination.
In 1988, the growing buzz on Sting forced the organizers to seek a larger venue to accommodate the legions of dancehall fans that began to follow the event. The National Stadium was chosen and the likes of Ninja Man, Red Dragon, Flourgon, Sanchez, and international star, Maxi Priest lit up the venue with marquis performances.
In 1988, patrons flocked to the venue to see the likes of Flourgon, Red Dragon, Ninja Man and Junior Demus. That clash got to the point where the microphones had to be turned off, a foreshadowing of darker events to come. In 1989, Barrington Levy, Gregory Isaacs, Freddy McGregor and Dennis Brown faced off to see who could be the best at serenading the over 27.000 patrons. The Fat Boys were also featured at that year's staging, which was beamed live for the first time to the USA and Canada. The following year, in 1990, over 30.000 patrons were entertained with the "Clash of the Century" between Ninja Man and Shabba Ranks, who had risen to the pinnacle of the deejay scene from the year before. This was the scene of the famous doo doo pants diss that cemented Ninjamans reputation as a lyrical assassin.
In 1991, STING had its largest crowd of over 42.000 and it has been recorded as the biggest turnout for any one day reggae event in Jamaica. That record still stands. The following year, over 10.000 children turned out for "Kiddies Sting" which was headlined by US teen stars Kriss Kross. STING remained at the National Stadium until 1992 when it was moved to Jamworld which was to be its new home for the next four years.

That year, the event celebrated its tenth anniversary in fine style, as a three part event - "Slam" on Christmas Eve at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre - a pre-Christmas party for teenagers; "Golden Memories Filled With Love" on Christmas Day at Jamworld. This second leg showcased Jamaica's best from the ska and vintage eras. The climax took place on Boxing Day featuring the best of Jamaica's dancehall. In 1997, STING went back to the National Stadium for another year, but due to the Reggae Boys' preparation for the World Cup, the organizers were forced to return to Jamworld in 1998.

Sting went through an uncertain period between 1999 to 2001 when Bounty Killer decided to challenge Stings supremacy as the must-attend event of the Christmas season with his own, Saddle to the East show on Christmas Day. This presented a challenge for Laing and his team because artistes often performed free at the event and then commanded large salaries at Sting, negatively affecting his bottomline. Bounty Killer also refused to attend Sting for two years as he held his event, and the third year, he showed up at Sting but he was not advertised.

In 2004, Sting achieved a new first when it got its first title sponsor, Magnum, for the 20th anniversary show. Sting also survived a near-apocalyptic ending to its show in 2003 when up-and-comer Vybz Kartel physically attacked Ninjaman onstage. After the onstage melee had ended, emcee Nuffy made an ill-timed announcement regarding Bounty Killers refusal to perform, and a hail of bottles descended on the stage. Several persons were injured, however Beenie Man was able to close the show and regain some amount of sanity to that nights proceedings and I guess one could say the rest is history.