Sting kicks off Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival with intimate concert featuring surprise guest Shaggy...
Legendary musician Sting kicked off the second-annual Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival with an intimate performance featuring a surprise guest — reggae artist Shaggy.
The Police frontman took the stage Friday at Baha Mar’s Baha Bay Water Park, which was shut down for a beachfront welcome party and concert powered by the luxury resort’s SLS hotel.
Sting opened with crowd-favorite tune “Message in a Bottle,” but cheers erupted even further when Shaggy joined the 72-year-old British musician on stage for “Englishman in New York” and “Every Breath You Take.”
The concert continued with Sting — whose bulging biceps were on display in a distressed T-shirt and light-colored jeans — performing classics including “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Shape of My Heart.”
The Jamaican rapper, 55, returned to perform his own hit song “Angel” before helping Sting close out the evening by putting a bit of reggae flair on “Roxanne.”
Celebrity chef Carla Hall stood front row for the entire hour-long production, dancing and singing the words to all the songs.
A-list chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Eitan Bernath and Michelle Bernstein also enjoyed the concert.
Earlier in the evening, guests mingled with the chefs in the sprawling outdoor space, which was outfitted with chandeliers, a glowing light display, floating champagne bar and live sushi demo by Kentaro Katsuya.
They chowed down on flavorful food selections from Baha Mar’s notable restaurants, including Café Boulud, Fi’lia, Katsuya, Marcus, Carna and more.
When attendees weren’t busy noshing on the small bites, they sipped on Moët & Chandon champagne and Broken Shaker’s bespoke cocktails.
The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, which kicked off Friday and ends Sunday, offers foodies an opportunity to experience exclusive culinary events, including master classes, private dinners and intimate conversations with high-profile chefs.
“So excited to officially kick off our second annual our Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival!!!” Samuelsson wrote on Instagram Friday.
“Looking forward to connecting with many of you this weekend, and for those who couldn’t make it I’ll be sharing some highlights throughout the weekend so you can still get in on the action.”
(c) Page 6 by Alexandra D'Aluisio
