It's undeniable: Elephant Man is truly a daunting act to follow.

From leaping atop speakers piled 30 feet high to pulling audience members up on stage with him, he ignited the crowd at Saturday night's concert at White Hill Field before he even climbed the stage steps.

Everyone in the crowd was waiting for his trademark high-energy performance - and, to their delight, he delivered.

His performance covered everything, from a lyrical battle with singer Kiprich over who could deliver the best dubs to a woman (Elephant Man sent the crowd into a frenzy when he came out with "When A Man Loves A Woman"), to a conversation he claimed to have had with President George Bush against the war in Iraq, culminating in Mr. Bush giving him a code allowing him to listen to a conversation between an FBI agent and a "Taliban person" over the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

Still focusing on the war, he finished around midnight with the crowd joining in on "We Are The World". It was clear that he did not want to leave the stage - and clear the crowd did not want him to leave either. But, as he ruefully told The Royal Gazette later: "Shaggy had to come on".

After the insane energy of Elephant Man's performance, the lull as the crowd waited for the Grammy-award winning performer and international pop-reggae superstar Shaggy seemed interminable.

But when he finally sauntered on stage people seemed to think he was worth the wait.

Shaggy's music has more of a pop-reggae flavour than Elephant Man's hardcore beats and he may have less of a following in Bermuda than Elephant Man - a situation which must be unique throughout the world, where in countries like Canada, the US and the UK Shaggy is a household name.

Despite this fact, and the fact that he had gotten off a plane from Europe just hours before, the man they call "Mr. Boombastic" (along with singing partners such as Rayvon and Rik Rok) kept up the rhythm set on stage by Elephant Man.

He warmed up the crowd with the classics he made his name on like "Oh Carolina", "In The Summertime", and (of course) "Mr. Boombastic".

Then he broke into his newer songs such as 2000's "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel".

Finally, with the crowd built up on the songs they knew, Shaggy and his band brought out songs from the new album, "Lucky Day". He alternated between what Rolling Stone magazine called "mad scientist of pop reggae" hits such as "Hey Sexy Lady", with a high-energy tango rhythm, to slower ballads like "Strength of a Woman".

The entire "Lucky Day" album, said Shaggy, celebrates women: their strength, beauty and power.

"I have to wonder if God is a woman," he told crowds on Saturday night, adding: "Life wouldn't be much worth living without a woman."

Local artists Jahstice, Ninja-Cutty and Ali also performed at the concert, hosted by New York radio station Hot 97 FM's DJ Enuff. And if the crowd had not been anticipating Elephant Man's performance so much, their original performances - including some beats by Collie Buddz - would have been enough to carry the show.

The only hitch in the concert, according to crowd members, was the price of the tickets.

"This is going to be a great concert, but no one's going to show up, especially the black community because these prices are just way too high," said one audience member early on in the evening.

But was it worth the money? "To see Elephant man - and Shaggy?" said another audience member as the show ended. "Oh yes."