‘Soca vs. Reggae: The VIP Edition’ once again delivered one of Bermuda’s hottest events of the year.Tiger Bay was transformed into a high-energy fete featuring international reggae star, Demarco, and soca’s hottest husband and wife team, Fay Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin.A sea of people streamed down Mullet Bay Road after the 2013 Cup Match Classic ready to wave, wine, and dance the night away.Some came prepared to represent Team Reggae featuring Prezidential Elite and King Jyrus, or Team Soca with DJ Rusty G and DJ Chubb, while others came in anticipation of enjoying the competition as a lively end to the annual holiday.Bermuda’s own Prezidential Elite kicked off Round 1 with Barrington Levy’s “Vice Versa Love”.They took the crowd down memory lane with old school dance hall jams and Lovers rock. DJ Chubb represented with Bermuda’s favourite soca jams like “Swinging Engine” and “Dollar Wine”.But, by the end of Round 5, Team Soca jumped and waved to a unanimous win from both the audience and judges.At the start of the evening, both groups knew this would be a tough competition.Backstage, Demarco admitted, “This is going to be a real hard competition. That’s Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons over there, but I’m ready to go.“I love Bermuda, and the crowd has a lot of energy just like back home [in Jamaica]. I can’t wait to get up on stage. Expect me to win.”Fay Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin went into the competition with a game plan in mind.“Our plan to win is to just have fun. The competition is definitely formidable,” stated Fay Ann Lyons.“Fun, fun, and more fun,” added Bunji Garlin as they watched the first few rounds awaiting their turn to hit the stage.Despite a few issues with the sound dropping earlier in the night, Demarco started Round 5 with a burst of energy proving his ability to Bogle, Skip to My Lou, and Row The Boat.From covering Bob Marley hits to his own well-known songs “Love A Come Down” and “I Love My Life”, Demarco proved why reggae is one of the most-loved genres in the world.Even with a bit of rain causing the crowd to disperse and seek shelter, Demarco’s performance was airtight.Soca’s husband and wife team followed and delivered on their promise of fun.Bunji’s unique style combining elements of dance hall, soca, and even hip hop won over the crowd as he free-styled over a soca beat announcing that he would do what was needed to win.Fay Ann engaged the crowd by encouraging everyone to follow her lead as she swayed, jumped, shouted, and sang.By the end of Round 5, the couple had the audience moving with hands clapping in the air while they performed Bunji’s latest hit, “Differentology”.Also, following through on their promise of a VIP well worth the cost, at $145 per ticket, the Barmuvinjam organisers literally rolled out the red carpet this year.Dressed for carnival and handing out sponsored giveaways, greeters met every VIP ticket-holder as they walked the red carpet and entered the spacious VIP lounge and tent replete with sleek white furniture, catered dining, an open-bar, and a separate elevated platform from which to enjoy the show.As for the rest of the concertgoers, everyone was able to receive a bit of the VIP treatment.Food stalls and an amply stocked bar were accessible to all as the DJs and performers rocked Tiger Bay. Even a few boats anchored nearby to enjoy the high quality of music.After months of hard work, the organisers were very happy with the success of the event. They would like to thank the sponsors and congratulate Team Soca on a unanimous victory.This year marks the seventh Soca vs Reggae concert and fourth victory for Team Soca.This event has become one of the best-attended parties of the Cup Match holiday.