The Klass musical group has planned a second evening of celebrations for its tenth anniversary on April 29, 2022, at the Palladium-Times Square, located at 1515 Broadway in New York City’s Times Square.
The Hyatt Regency Miami Downtown was chosen as the venue for the Klass red carpet event, which took place between Brickell and Biscayne. Of course, it had to be around Times Square in New York City to be appropriate.
As a result, it was located in the heart of Manhattan, just a few minutes away from Times Square. Earlier in the day, Pipo and Richie had made plans to get together for yet another unforgettable evening.
The show’s poster promised a night full of animation, with guests such as Misty Jean, Michael Guirand, Phyllisia Ross, and Cubano paying a heartfelt tribute to Richie and Klass, as well as a tribute from Cubano himself.
And perhaps most significantly, this occasion marked one of the first times that Kompa music had crossed the Manhattan Bridge and reached Broadway, the beating heart of American entertainment.
The band’s ten-year anniversary concert marked the pinnacle of their commercial success. It was a night to remember for a lifetime.
Breakdancers were performing in a circle as the curtain opened, with Klass members and their tools surrounding them.
Even from the back of the hall, the Klass 10 Sou 10 logo could be seen on the stage at the back of the performance space. “Depi se devan ou ye, kondane pou kreye” and “Sa ki dèyè yo, kondane pou kopye” were written on the marquee, which translated as “When you’re ahead, you have to be creative.” The ones who are following behind us are copycats.
Haiti represented
The year Klass was founded is also represented by the number 2012, which appears on the logo. There was a video clip with the words “Nou se fanmi” in large bold letters, which was followed by a toast. The final frame of the video featured the colors blue and red, which represent Haiti’s national flag.
The dancers had left the stage, and a rolling platform with a smiling Pipo crossed the stage horizontally. And the evening has gotten off to a perfect start. Haiti, without a doubt, is the center of attention. While dancing, the dancers did an excellent job of highlighting our national colors.
The song Nou se Ayisien, We are Haitians, served as the official opening song for the event. The lead singer of the band Pipo entered the stage holding a Haitian flag in his left hand and a salute in his right. A well-deserved salute to Haiti, the world’s first black republic, was accorded during this ceremony. We all know what the country is going through these days.
Following the performance of the song “Mizik sa,” the evening’s guests immediately began to enjoy themselves. It is important to note that the majority of the guest artists performed a piece from the group’s repertoire for the audience. Cubano as the sole exception, performed a song from the film Skah-Sha.
“Lajan sere” was interpreted by Misty Jean, who provided the voice for “Cé ou mwen vle.” In terms of the song, she did a fantastic job. She understands how to put on a show. For the second time, Misty Jean stated unequivocally that she has nothing to prove.
Skah Shah #1 may not be with us any longer, but Cubano is still alive and well, and he still has plenty of energy to spare. It was as if he had been singing for more than two decades.
Cubano was the lead singer of the song “Haiti,” which was performed by Klass. Cubano and the band looked fantastic in their classy shades, bald, and with the signature tcha-tcha in their hands. The audience was clamoring for more of Cubano and Klass that night.
It was time for Phyllisia Ross to step in and take over the reins. Ross’s move of choice was Move Siyal. Move Siyal is a song from Klass’ most recent album, which was released in 2017. Ret nan Liy ou ret nan Liy ou Move Siyal is a fast-paced song, which is understandable. There were only a few cheers in the audience.
Mickael Guirand was the final primary guest to take the stage on that particular night. The song chosen for Mickael was Fè l vini avan, which is from Klass’ first album and is a fan favorite among Klass fans.
You are the one who will decide how well that performance sounded acoustically. But let’s face it, Pipo is just that: Pipo. There aren’t many people who can match his voice and sense of style.
Mickael, on the other hand, was exceptionally good at moving a crowd. Pipo is lacking in this particular department. Mickael, the former frontman of the late Carimi and current lead singer of Vaybz, performed admirably on the occasion.
Cubano’s performance, on the other hand, will not be forgotten by many people. This, I believe, is due to the fact that he was the only one who performed a song from his collections.
Pipo, the lead vocalist of Klass, then returned to the stage and carried on with the show for the remainder of the evening. Mickael Guirand arrived a short time later to join the party. The joint performance is breathtaking to witness, and it sends a powerful message of unity and respect throughout the Haitian music industry (HMI).
Oh, there was yet another guest, I forgot about that. Cadelouse performed a rendition of the song “Mwen eme w,” which was accompanied by Richie. The drummer’s platform is moved to the front of the stage for this portion of the performance. This provided a better view of the performance for the audience members in attendance.
The gala consisted of two hours of non-stop music. Now came the moment when a large number of fans crossed the bridge, which served as the moment of recognition. It was announced that both Richie and Cubano would be honored for their contributions to the Haitian music scene. Fortunately, after all of these non-stop actions, the public’s ears were given a well-deserved break.
The team’s use of a merry-go-round strategy to win the awards was well-thought-out. The presentation was one-of-a-kind because of the music rotation that went on and off.
One must not overlook the outstanding contribution made by the dancers, who put on a superb show throughout the evening, presenting choreographic pieces here and there. The sound system at this event was also a strong point of the show. There were no ” monite souple or hissing sounds,” which is unusual in our events because we rarely hear them.
The only drawback was the large number of distractions caused by sound crews at that particular event. In one instance, you could see a man standing on the right side of the stage holding a gallon of water, which was unusual. Aside from that, the KLASS 10-year anniversary celebration in Times Square was an unqualified success.
I’m not sure if it’s because of Covid, the timing, or the location of the event. We noticed that the Palladium wasn’t completely packed when we arrived.
