Lord Nelson’s still got it.
The venerable calypsonian, real name Robert Nelson, celebrated his 91st year on Earth with a clock-turning, hip-shaking, chest-exposing performance on Saturday evening. (July 30)
The display reminded everyone lucky enough to have a seat in the audience of his stellar showmanship, at the tribute concert, A Musical Evening with Lord Nelson, at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.
“Allyuh feelin’ it? I feelin’ it too, ah feelin for love…” the oldest living calypsonian started saying to the audience before pausing to directly address a screaming female fan stage front.
“Dahling, ah hearing yuh, but wait till later, nah,” Nelson responded, evoking an almighty cheer of approval from the packed Hall.
Backed by Errol Ince and the Music Makers band, a glittering Papa Nelo, as the Tobago-born bard is fondly called, first emerged in a glittering gold jumpsuit with matching summers cap following a spirited introduction by Sunshine Awards founder Gilman Figaro.
Nelo opened the second half of his Tribute showcase with his 1976 classic “La La”. But by the time Ince’s troupe found the opening notes to his 1980 hit “Disco Daddy”, he found it hard to keep his clothes on.
Nelson’s cane went one way, his jacket the other, and with a coy smile he slowly unzipped the front of his shimmering gold romper, while suggestively rotating his bulging waist, inspiring a growing cheer from the audience with each exposed zip tooth and hip gyration.
“They used to call meh Disco Daddy but now dey does call meh Disco Granddaddy,” he said to an even louder cheer.
When Nelson winked Ince into his 1977 genre-defining classic “King Liar” the calypso faithful were in dreamland.
“Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie, yuh going to hell as soon as yuh die,” they sang verbatim with an animated Nelson.
The mood changed, however, when he told them about his “deep hurt” at not initially being accepted in calypso circles. Nelson has documented that dark moment in his musical history in the 1978 calypso “Foreigner”.
“It does always make meh feel sad, I doh like to sing it,” he said earnestly.
A supreme icon
Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds added to the multitude of efforts since then to right that wrong when he presented Nelson with a token of appreciation on behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Hinds, standing in for the show’s patron, Prime Minster Dr Keith Rowley, thanked the veteran calypso man for “the work, letters and joy” he has left T&T. Hinds added that PM Rowley, who tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time on Friday, deeply regretted not being able to attend the celebration.
“Brother, supreme icon, artiste of international purport. Dr Rowley, the patron of this show, really sincerely regrets not being with us. He has asked me to come on behalf of this Government, on his own behalf, on behalf of all of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, to not just celebrate you, to not just thank you for the many, many hours of pleasure that you have given us and the pride you have given us across the region and the world, but really to say from our hearts that we honour you and we thank you, because the work you have done, the letters you have left with us, the joy you have left will stay with us for all of the foreseeable future, God bless you, my brother,” Hinds said to a glowing Nelson.
Musical tributes
Earlier, several veteran calypso acts and the Signal Hill Alumni Choir paid tribute to Lord Nelson with hand-picked covers from his extensive repertoire.
Oscar B (Oscar Benjamin) opened the show with Nelo’s “Garot Bounce (Whoopsin)” and “Party Tonight”. Signal Hill followed with “Feelings” and “Jenny”, while former National Calypso Monarch (2016) Devon Seale chose “Analogue in a digital world” and the hilarious “Siamese Twins”.
Former two-time International Soca Monarch Ronnie McIntosh (1995 and 1997) sang Nelson’s “Calamity” and “The Boat” before getting hands waving in the audience with his own “How it go look”.
It was Nelo who would have the final say on his special night when he preceded a Happy Birthday song from the cast with a medley of his hits that included “We Like It”, “One Family” and “Meh Lover”.
“From me, to you, the everlasting, the good, for love only, Meh Lover… Leh we love up,” he said before singing the timeless 1978 classic.
