’Unprofessional’ is how Jamaican singer, Siccature Alcock aka Jah Cure, described the conduct of the promoter who had him picked up and detained by police on Saturday night.
Mere hours before his scheduled performance at Guaracara Park, Marabella, police officers arrived at Alcock’s room at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain and insisted he come with them to the Central Police Station. Alcock said he protested and asked them to wait for his manager to return, but was removed and subsequently detained for failure to repay a deposit of US$19,993 to Tobago promoter, Handel Anthony, for a contractual obligation he had failed to fulfil.
Admitting his guilt in the matter of repayment, Alcock said he had already agreed to repay the sum owed to the promoter, but was displeased with the manner in which he opted to retrieve it.
He said: ’There are ways to go about these thing. Me did never tell him me wasn’t going to pay him, but he did never tell us how and when he wanted to be paid either. We have wire transfer and bank drafts and all dem thing dey so fe deal wit dat. Me never expect fe him come to I hotel room with police and instigate dem bag ah rae-rae like him want to stop the show.’
High Court Judge, Justice Sebastien Ventour, granted the application for a warrant for Alcock’s arrest around 6.30 pm on Saturday, after hearing an affidavit filed by attorney, Michael Rooplal, who represented Anthony.
In the affidavit, Anthony claimed that he entered into an agreement with Alcock to perform at two concerts in T&T on April 11 and 12, this year. Anthony said he agreed to pay Alcock US$85,000 for these two performances. In pursuance of the agreement, Anthony said he paid the artist US$40,000 as a deposit.
Anthony said the Jamaican artiste agreed orally to give him exclusive rights to promote and produce his next performance in T&T, which was scheduled in October. He said he contacted Alcock in August, and requested that he perform in October at the Sting Nightclub in San Fernando. He said Alcock declined, claiming that he did not perform in the same country more than once in any calendar year. The Tobago promoter said he found out that Jah Cure was billed as the headline act at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre, on Saturday night and that was in clear breach of the artiste’s agreement to give exclusive rights for his next performance in T&T.
Anthony told the court that Jah Cure was expected to leave Trinidad early on Sunday and he faced the real risk of not being able to recover his money if the singer was allowed to return to his home in Manchester, Jamaica. In the presence of various people, the equivalent, TT$126,000 in cash, was counted and handed over to Anthony on Saturday night and after the debt was satisfied, Alcock was able to leave the station at 10.30 p.m.
Speaking exclusively to this reporter at Piarco Airport on Sunday morning, Alcock said the entire matter was ’a big misunderstanding’ that could have been handled ’more professionally’.
’Me love Trinidad and all ah me fans here ah Trinidad. Nothing and no one can ever stop me from performing in Trinidad, so long as I healthy and able to come. It was just a mix-up and a miscommunication, so me doh wan talk bout it too much... Was a minor hiccup still eh know cause the show ah sell-off and I come and sing fe everybody fe enjoy themselves still... Dem cyah fight me in ah my second home eh know. Me love Trinidad!’
In spite of his altercation with the law, Jah Cure was in high spirits and delivered a quality performance to over 5000 patrons, who assembled at Guaracara Park to see and hear him and stayed until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Hosted by Men In Black Promotions, the concert entitled ’It’s Cure Again’ was successful and ended without incident. Taking the stage just after 3 am, Jah Cure greeted his audience with open arms and a big smile before performing his hit single, ’Freedom’ and telling the crowd about his incident with the police. While performing the hit single, ’Journey’, Alcock ventured into the heart of the crowd and sang from the top of the fence between the VIP section and General Admission as security guards and his many willing fans held him upright.
Heading to Piarco Airport immediately after the show, Jah Cure boarded a Caribbean Airlines flight to Jamaica at 8 am and returned home ’to rest for upcoming engagements in the Caribbean’ later this month.
