Newly-crowned Soca Monarch and front-runner for the 2011 Road March title Machel Montano worked the stands at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, into a frenzy yesterday during the Parade of the Bands on the big stage.

Montano’s “Advantage” commanded masqueraders to jump, prance, trample and tremble on the wider, longer stage—absent for the last three years—and was the song of choice for the majority of bands.

Montano, who appeared on the last music truck of the Island People Mas presentation Shades of the Universe, in the section Mars Secret, brought screams of delight from the thousands of masqueraders and spectators assembled at the venue.

Proclaiming this country’s Carnival was the greatest in the world, Montano called upon the crowd to raise their hands and follow his instructions.

“Everybody, stand up!” he shouted at the spectators in the North Stand, and they all willingly obeyed.

Members of the protective services had a busy time clearing passageways and staircases from adoring fans, who strained to get pictures of the soca star as he wined, flexed his muscles, bowed and blew kisses to the stands.

Neil “Iwer” George’s “Come to Meh” was a favourite along the road, receiving heavy rotation just before and after judging points. One DJ on a music truck told band members during Iwer’s tune that he was just “warming them up”.

Revellers had much to celebrate this season, with not only the return of soca star Montano to the arena, but Government’s move to bring the mas back to the Savannah as well. For the last three years, masqueraders paraded on the streets after a promise was made by the last administration to construct a Carnival Centre in the Savannah.

Even with Montano’s stage presence and the thousands who paraded, however, the wideness of the new Queen’s Park stage seemed to “swallow” some presentations.

The first of Tuesday’s bands, Just Friends’ Dancing with the Stars crossed the stage shortly after 8 a.m., and the flow of masqueraders continued at a steady pace. Eight other bands would cross the stage by noon.

Bands such as D Harvard Revellers Inc Ltd’s D Latin Flava and Harts Ltd’s Planet Rock paraded before judges under brilliant sunshine, in a day otherwise dominated by large bands.

Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) workers cleaned up confetti off the stage between bands and picked up litter as fast as it was dropped onto the greens.

Popular band Tribe with The Way of the Warrior had crossed the stage in less than an hour, and The Spice Carnival Band Ltd’s Season 3, The Signature Collection moved with similar pace. The Island People presentation took nearly three hours to cross the stage, which may have attributed to a bottleneck on Frederick Street.

Bandleaders also complained about the new route to the Savannah, saying music trucks and other supply vehicles had a hard time manoeuvring at certain intersections. National Carnival Commission chairman Kenny DeSilva acknowledged the complaints and noted this was something the commission will take into consideration for next year’s celebrations.

Legacy’s South Pacific followed and Yuma’s Zodeak, which featured celebrity revellers President George Maxwell Richards and soca stars Iwer George and Destra, crossed by 6 p.m.

Taking the the stage shortly after six o’clock and under lights was DKrewe’s Rhythms.

Other small and medium bands also entertained spectators at the Grand Stand, North Stand and the heavily populated public seating opposite the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).

The highly anticipated Humanity Circle of Life by multiple Band of the Year winner Brian MacFarlane began to cross the Savannah stage at 8.45 p.m.

Iwer George sought to make a dent in Montano’s Road March run when he appeared on one of Yuma’s trucks late in the afternoon, but Montano, by then, had a significant lead.

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