Emotions ran high on stage and throughout the audience at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on Wednesday evening during Shurwayne Winchester's concert titled "For Women".

Winchester invited Calypso Queen of the World Calypso Rose on stage and could not hold back the tears. He relived his boyhood days in Tobago when he first appeared in a calypso tent, the Calypso Rose Superstars.

Winchester said, "This is the lady who took me by the hand and put me on stage, I used to be by the tent with my book bag on my back. I was always in the back, I had to do my school work before I perform and that was also very early because I had to get home."

Calypso Rose said she knew Shurwayne had it in him, "The tourist always wanted to hear him sing. Tonight I am beloved to be here with you, you have made me proud." The 72-year-old Rose said she just came in from New York where she attended the launch of a move The Lioness of the Jungle.

Calypso Rose performed two songs "Fire Fire" and "Tempo" during which she walked through the audience greeting her fans. When she was finished Shurwayne interjected, "She is my heart, she has done so much for me."

Before Calypso Rose, Winchester gave the audience—which consisted mainly of women—the story of his success. "I took out all the money I had in a bank account and came to Trinidad. I wanted to sing in Spektakula tent. I went to Arthur Marcial to record a song and went to audition. When I was finished I did not get in.  I was most depressed so I put plan B in motion, I went to Revue Tent."

Winchester continued, "Well I scrub bench for the whole season. I never saw the stage. But as it turned out that was the best thing that happened to me. Backstage I met a man who changed my life. I saw him and told my father I wanted to meet him. When my father introduced me to Baron I told him, when I get big I want to sing just like you.

"He watch me and said don't try to sing like me, sing like yourself." With this Winchester sang "Ah Feeling It" in honour of Baron.

The evening started with lightning and thunder after MC Deborah Maillard announced Shurwayne and his band YOU. The lanky singer came on stage to a roar from the audience and he performed several songs.

As he walked off the stage his chorus started "I Will Always Love You" in tribute to Whitney Huston and the audience sang along with them. 

Winchester came back on stage to perform songs which influenced his career and did "Mr C" and "You are Beautiful". He also explained, "for most of this week I did not have any voice but God gave me this chance. I am only 50 per cent there but I will do my best for you."

Superstar Maxi Priest opened the second half of the programme with Winchester with "Make Me Yours". Maxi Priest then continued with his hits "House Call" (Shabba Ranks), "Just a little Bit Longer" and "Wild World". The audience could not get enough of the smooth voiced rasta and called him back. He obliged with "I Believe In Love".

The Shiv Shakti Dancers were entertaining with their calypso/soca routine before Winchester came back on stage, doing snippets of several songs like "Shake Senora" and in "Rolling in the Deep".

He then promised to "blow the roof off the building with pure soca" and it was time for the road marches, "Look The Band Coming", "Dead or Alive".

Winchester transformed the Alwdyn Roberts Auditorium into a fete hall leaving the stage and jumping on the railing that separates the patrons from the stage.

In the end he apoligised for the absence of Raymond Ramnarine whom he said he could not get in touch with during the show and Kerwin Dubois whom he said had lost his voice.

Winchester said he will not fool his loyal fans and that is exactly what happened, one patron shouted, "We did not miss them" that summed up the performance by Shurwayne Winchester in his first concert.