Courtesy Overtime Media
XVibes caught up with Mega Concert Promoter, Benny Hatem mere days before the biggest concert to hit the southland takes place and picked his brain on the details behind the Mega event that has taken the southland by storm. BH Entertainment and The Lollabee Group will present a “Pardy” of epic proportions featuring special guests: Voice, Yung Bredda, Full Blown, Lady Lava, Skinny Fabulous, Ravi B, Pumpa, Drupatee, Trilla G and Litleboy on Friday February 7 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy southern car park. Gates open from 7 pm and Hatem opens up to XVibes now:
XV: Why and when did you decide to stage this MEGA Concert event with Machel Montano in South Trinidad?
BH: It’s an idea we’ve had for some time now, but with the first long season in many years happening now and with MM coming off his 50th birthday and all the historic achievements of 2024, we felt the time was right for a Mega Concert in South!
XV: What does it take to work with King of Soca? How long have you staged events with him as a featured performer?
BH: Well everyone knows he’s a perfectionist so it can be quite demanding working with him, but that has only made me better and more efficient at what I do and you have to be focused and informed also, because he is always tapped in to what’s happening in his industry and in the wider world also. I have been working with Machel and consided him a friend since 2004 and the relationship has only grown stronger over time.
XV: MM just made history as the first Soca artiste to perform on the world-famous NPR Tiny Desk platform, what other surprises does he have in store for Carnival 2025 and what kind of performance do you expect on Friday February 7 at the Brian Lara Stadium ?
BH: You can always expect surprises from the King of Soca and revealing them now would not be good for all the patrons coming out to experience them on February 7th… This show being staged in South where he was born and went to school means it holds a special place in his heart, so I think we can expect him to deliver a mind-blowing, heart-wrenching, history-making performance. Much like LeBron James, he has been great for so long and may be closer to the end of his run than before, but he’s still one of the top performers in the region and the world, so his fans can look forward to a mega-tastic performance and a mega-ful night overall we pardy in the Southland!
XV: What made you choose the name MEGA for this event ?
BH: When you’re working with MM, you have to think BIG and of course we wanted to play on the Ms in his name in a way that hadn’t been done before. This is a big deal because its his ONLY full concert performance in south and one of the few he will do this season overall, so we had to go not just big with this – we had to make it MEGA!
XV: Who else will we see onstage at MEGA?
BH: Once again, with MM, you will never really know for sure who is joining him onstage until showtime, but patrons can rest assured there will be lots of surprises and most of the top acts in the country will be included and featured on the night of MEGA.
