Brian MacFarlane produced an explosive display of colour, culture and country when the "Journey to Jubilee" concert to mark Trinidad and Tobago's 50th Independence anniversary came off at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, on Friday night.

Over 15,000 people, some of whom began gathering from 4.30 p.m., witnessed the show which advertised a 6 p.m. start time but which actually only got going after 8 p.m.

Masters of ceremony Ashleia Baksh and Sunny Bling thought they got the programme off with the playing of the National Anthem at 7.45 p.m. but there was an unexplained 20-minute gap before opening act PCS Silver Stars started its 30-minute steelband segment.

After Silver Stars' session, MacFarlane's production followed and started with an expansive costume of our red, white and black national colours. The show then traced the country's past from British rule, including extravagant colonial wear, to the country's first enslaved African inhabitants then to the East Indian indentured labourers who eventually joined symbolically in the cutting of costumed cane stalks.

MacFarlane next introduced the gathering to the culture and influence of the two major ethnic groups in the country with Indian dancers and music as well as African drums and dances and skill portrayed through the limbo dance.

The production moved to colourful depictions of the country's flora and fauna and of its beautiful Caribbean Sea before fast-forwarding to modern times with lavish costumes depicting mas and the country's major musical invention of the steelband, with members of Silver Stars coming back into focus.

There was also the introduction of Tobago to the scene while Tony Prescott sang his hit song "All Aboard" to a stage that had been filled by a kaleidoscope of costumes.

Aaron Duncan, junior calypso monarch, gave his rendition of Kerwyn Du Bois' and Patrice Roberts' "I am Soca".

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar entered the stage waving the national flag before Neval Chatelal combined with Wendy Shephard to close off the one-hour-and-15-minute-long production with their singing of the national anthem.

The show climaxed with a 15-minute long pyrotechnic display.

Thousands of attendees then streamed out of the Oval, leaving only a couple of thousand behind to enjoy the rest of the show which included Roy Cape, Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons as well as the Mighty Sparrow.