Satisfaction. That was what the thousands of people leaving Thursday evening's Bermuda Music Festival will have been feeling. And pride. Bermuda shone on a stage graced by the best of the best and came out looking and sounding great.

True the night belonged to the Bishop, The Reverend Al Green, prophet of Agape and Eros. But Bermuda lit up the stage too. First, The United Dance Company, directed by choreographer and dancer Suzette Harvey, as always, innovative and interesting, showed us how to move the body to the new music. Then, not to be outdone, the debuting Bermuda Festival Orchestra followed, led by Robert Edwards, who arranged and rehearsed everything in this set. When Ovation, a quartet of veteran male voices , came on, the stage was the replete with the best of Bermuda's male performers.

It was a Who's Who list: Shine Hayward, Max Maybury, Conrad Roach, and Graham Maule. Kevin Maybury, Keith Caisey, Stan Gilbert, James Richardson, and Randy Lambert.

They came prepared and well rehearsed, and hit the air with, 'Pick up the Pieces'.

The thrill of seeing this line-up on stage was exceeded only by that of hearing the sound they made. When the sound crew got it right the BFO sounded even better.

In a while Ovation joined them on stage. Cal Symonds, Gary Bean, George Simons and Roy Richardson seemed keen to pick up where the Manhattans left off on the previous night, offering selections from the Delphonics' and OJays' hit list. Again they were a bit let down by the sound crew, with some particularly bad balancing of the vocal microphones. Some careless note placement didn't help either; but small matter; the overall effect was positive.

Bootsie was the MC of the evening rounding out the cadre of Bermudian (male) talent. Again, a great job was done keeping things moving smoothly with his humour. It was a bit disconcerting hearing the Gombeys while Bootsie waxed on, however.

And so to Joss Stone.

This hugely popular soul singer from Devon , England, still just seventeen and starry-eyed, came on to a huge ovation by her hefty local fan club, and with her superb band played a set that had large sections of the crowd going, once she'd conquered her wayward hair that kept getting in her eyes. She has been called 'the most precociously gifted performer of her generation". She sang from 'Mind Body and Soul', as well as from her breakout hit album 'Soul Sessions', bounding about the stage with the energy of the really young; or being still and expressive for the down tempo numbers she interpreted.

Her band was outstanding as well, particularly the guitarist who played a blazing solo on one of the numbers. The gospel flavour came from a trio of singers, one of whom stepped forward late in the set to give a stirring performance ; and some fine Hammond organ playing straight from church.

The sound was perfect; a well respected local performer bemoaned the fact that it hadn't been so for the local contingent.

Bootsie held court while the stage was being re-set for The Rev. Al Green. It took awhile, too, so that after Bootsie, there still was a lengthy wait.

But it was worth every minute. When they stage was set for the Rev. Bishop, there were two back-up singings on risers, two drum kits, tenor sax, trumpet and trombone arrayed across the stage. In front of them were the guitarists, lead, rhythm, and bass. Down stage right, the Hammond organist, a genius from Jacksonville, and opposite him, down stage left, another keyboardist. Two slender youths in corn-row hair styles danced on opposite sides of the down centre spot, waiting to be filled by the man everybody, it seems , had come to hear.

And then, there he was, dresses in a blue three piece suit, dark glasses, and an arm full of long stemmed roses. The band was already jamming, the crowd surging towards the water's edge below the stage. The roses flew into a forest of up-reaching arms, and the Rev Al Green began to sing.

'Are You Diggin On Me', 'Baby Don't You Know','I Can't Stop'.

The whole place was moving rhythmically to the power house band, fuelled by two drummers and a hot rhythm section, The Hammond whistled, whined, screamed in response to the singers vocalising. He fancy foot it across the stage, in time to the music,

To throw more roses. Testified about Jesus. And the throbbing crowd took it all in. When he said: "God is good", the house replied in chorus: "All the time. He asked for an amen, and a chorused "Amen" came back.

There was a throng at the curtain of the stage, Black, White, Asia, blocking the view of those seated in the front rows, who didn't seem the least bit bothered.

The Rev was in church. "Everthing is gonna be alright. He's coming back! I'm talking about Jesus. There was a gospel rock 'Amazing Grace' that had one audience member asking for his own 'Amen'. He simply said 1972, and the crowd rode along. He got down on his knees for' How can you Mend a Broken Heart?', improvised on la-lala as if about to break into glossolalia!

When he sand 'Let's Stay Together', from the stage all the way to the back, people were on their feet, singing along so eagerly that Green could, move the microphone away and just listen.

It had, too soon, to end. The wind-down began with a medley that 'Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch', My Girl', 'I've Been Loving You', 'Bring It On Home To Me', 'What A Wonderful World It Would Be', and 'Tired of Being Alone.

Finally we got 'Love and Happiness".

People began leaving reluctantly, and Esan Frederick told me he'd give me today's "headline". It was: "If you didn't enjoy this, you're dead."

Amen, Esan.