Exodus Panorama champs again
after 9 years

February 26, 2001
By FULTON WILSON
Trinidad Express

IT TOOK nine years but Exodus was crowned national Panorama champions just after 3 a.m. on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The last time the band won the competition was in 1992.

Playing Pelham Goddard’s arrangement of “A Happy Song”, a tribute to Ato Boldon, composed by Goddard and Alvin Daniell, Exodus stole the march on defending Witco Desperadoes, which placed third and early favourite Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars, which finished second.

Exodus members promptly began celebrating when the results were announced.

They took the celebrations to the eastern side of the stage, then planned to go to their St Augustine panyard to continue it.

Kurt Edwards, a member of the committee that runs the band, said nine years was too long to wait for the prestigious title, “but we endured and finally we reached our mark”.

He said the band was fairly confident with the song it chose and remained focused. Even though the band topped the semi-final stage of the competition, he said band members knew there was still a lot of work to be done for the final night. And the hard work showed in the band’s excellent performance.

For the first time in years the Panorama finals got underway at its scheduled 8 p.m. starting time with the national anthem sung by Anne Frida, who was accompanied by members of Parry’s Pan School.

Pan Trinbago officials were pleased with how the competition went. Keith Byer, the organisation’s vice-president, said everything worked out. He said Pan Trinbago got the venue on time.

While some problems were experienced with seating arrangements in the Grand Stand, the show went smoothly.

Some patrons who bought tickets for the Grand Stand could not get seats and were told to go to the North Stand. The Grand Stand was filled to capacity while the North Stand was about three-quarter full.

North Panorama champs Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars was the first band on stage and they began to play Leon “Smooth” Edwards’ arrangement of Preacher’s Rain Melody at 8.20 p.m.

The bands thereafter moved on and off the stage at regular intervals. There were some delays when Witco Desperadoes, PCS Starlift and Carib Tokyo’s turn came to set up their racks on stage.

Pan Trinbago secretary Richard Forteau estimated that a massive crowd on “the drag” hampered the bands’ movements to the stage. He said the venue was too small and a new one was required.

Judges for the final were: chief judge Orville Wright, Roland Gordon, Junior Howell, Lorna Conyette, Lennox London, Esther Batson, Andrew Hudlin, Victor MacGill and Christine Mosaheb.

Exodus will be performing again at “Champs in Concert” at the same venue on Saturday.

Following are the results:

1. Exodus—471

2. Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars—468

3. Witco Desperadoes—466

4. Tropical Angel Harps—462

5. TCL Group Skiffle Bunch—459

6. Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove—457

7 (tie). BWIA Invaders—454

BP Renegades—454

9. Trinmar Hatters—450

10. Redemption Sound Setters (Tobago)—449

11. Inncogen Pamberi—447

12. PCS Starlift—446

13. Courts Laventille Sound Specialists—443

14. Carib Tokyo—442.

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