OK, if you weren?t at Snorkel Park on Wednesday night, then you simply will not appreciate the extent of my exuberance in this review article.

The Atlantik, featuring Destra and Maximus Dan show was entirely off the chain! Every moment of the generous two hours the headliners were on stage was magic. And the early entertainment wasn?t light weight either.

I arrived early to this one, and was pleased to hear that the Barmuvinjam crew was already wooing the relatively sparse crowd with vintage Soca and positive vibes. The General was in full voice throughout the evening, and once the crowd swelled to an audacious two-thousand-plus, the party was on in earnest!

Flags waved, lighters ignited, bodies swayed in time to the beat, arms reached for the stars, and people celebrated like it was the first ever Emancipation Day. The scene was glorious from start to finish! Barmuvinjam kept the revellers revelling right through the night, pausing to allow Pulse to bless us with two excellent 45 minute sets (one at 10 p.m., and one at 11 p.m.).

The veteran Soca Warriors put some good work in on Wednesday night, delivering old favourites and new hits with equal precision and mounds of style. Pulse were impressive during both sets, and certainly got the constantly swelling audience fully prepared for the onslaught they were about to endure.

The first stage of the said onslaught involved an extended set by the magnificent Barmuvinjam outfit. The General pushed big tune after big tune onto the decidedly expectant hordes, and they absorbed every one with the kind of energy that can only be expended just prior to a four day weekend. I mean this crowd was absolutely full of energy, and they had every intention of exhausting every last drop of it at Snokel Park that night!

When the MC asked them if they were tired at some time around 1 a.m., the ?No!? was deafening. And when the guy introduced Destra, Atlantik and Maximus Dan, he might as well have dropped a bucket of blood into a pool of sharks ? the frenzy was quite a spectacle!

The Band from Trinidad ripped into the masses, and kept them moving for two solid hours, with the stunning Destra extracting the biggest responses with massive hits like ?Max It Up,? and the majestic ?Bonnie and Clyde?.

The reactions to her songs were so great, in fact, that even she was taken aback. She admitted on several occasions to having underestimated the Bermudian knowledge of, and fervour for, Soca music. I have to admit that I may have underestimated our love of Soca as well, but let?s talk about Destra shall we? The petite princess of Soca bounced around the stage like a Raggedy Ann doll; jumping, waving, wining, and grinding like there was no tomorrow.

Her exuberance was infectious, and there was no standing still when she was on stage, and even if she?d have allowed it, I very much doubt that many of us would have exercised that option. This was a show to remember, and if you were there that night, you will not soon forget the first time Destra came to Bermuda and fell hopelessly in love with the Bermudian people.

Maximus Dan blessed the stage at some time around 2.00 a.m., and delivered a thoroughly satisfying set, which culminated in an interactive performance of the massive ?Soca Warrior?.

Even he kept the vibes alive and the party rocking like the day would never come ? indeed, many of us hoped it wouldn?t.

But all good things must come to an end, and once Destra returned to the stage to serenade us with a few more instantly recognisable gems, we all knew the end was near, and partied accordingly. The response was emphatic throughout the night, but when Destra broke into the brilliant ?It?s Carnival? it was over!

I was looking into the crowd when they were jumping and waving to that tune, and I could not discern a single human face - it was all a blur. The energy was pure, unfettered, and entirely apt.

Destra put her all into this performance, and we in turn, gave her an experience to remember. She professed her eternal love for Bermuda before she left the stage that night, and promised to return again and again.

Every one of us who witnessed that performance on Cup match Eve, 2006 will be counting the days until she returns. For the record, she said she would return very, very, very soon.

This was a well conceived, constructed, and delivered show from start to finish. Treble Clef Productions delivered the goods with a smile and a swagger. And speaking of swagger, Barmuvinjam absolutely cannot miss! If you see the logo with the four flags on an event poster from now on, make that event, because missing it would be uncivilized.