An ethereal performance from Lauren Hill juxtaposed with sizzling and energetic performances from top dancehall acts, among them Dexta Daps, Capleton, and Teejay ignited the Reggae Sumfest stage for Festival Night I.

The penultimate event unfolded on Friday, July 19 at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay, as the festival moved into higher notes of the crescendo of the week-long celebration.

The activities culminate on Festival Night II, Saturday, July 20.

Lauryn Hill shared the stage with her son YG Marley as part of his performance and proceeded to add the icing on the cake on what was an already powerful performance. That included YG Marley calling up his brother Zion Marley and the Born Fighter singer Jahshii.

Hill delved into hits including Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly, and Fu-Gee-La (Ooh La La).

YG Marley then closed out the performance with his monster hit Praise Jah in the Moonlight sending the crowd into a sing-along.

The stage was then rocked by Ding Dong and the Ravers as they kicked up the energy inside the venue during a specially sponsored Magnum 25th Anniversary Celebration slot.

Dexta Daps deliver a performance to the delight of his fans. From witty interaction to moving through his catalogue of hits such as Wifi, Breaking News and Forever, there were wild screams from his female fan base. However, it was the now-viral hit Shabba Madda Pot that moved the crowd.

Fast-rising star 450 followed with a well-received set that included positive responses from the crowd for his hits including Live and Learn.

Up next was Aidonia, who brought the crowd through a wave of emotions after taking them through memory lane with Govana, who had joined him earlier in his set. He then took the crowd through an impassioned rendition of RIP then on to bangers including Bruki, and even at one point indulging in his usual leap from the Sumfest stage to move through the crowd. 

Teejay followed and was in his element seemingly buoyed from being in his hometown. The Drift singer pulled from his catalogue to get the crowd moving with Shub Out, Dip, Owna Lane, Bitcoin, along with a segment for his female fans.

A short but comical and spicy set from Turbulence acted as the precursor to an energetic set from Capleton that got the crowd moving with him as he pranced in his customary style while delivering hits such as Slew Dem, Small World, Or Wah; in-between songs he implored the audience to believe in and respect themselves. His set brought the event to a close on a high.

Earlier in the night the new crop of artistes namely Kaka High Flames, Jquan, Armani, Pablo YG, and Malie Don all gave credible sets. Also, performing earlier was veteran artiste Munga Honorable, who reminded the crowd as to why he is considered a top lyricist in dancehall.

The show was not, however, free from hiccups as rostered artistes Kraff, Jada Kingdom, and Valiant did not perform with only emcee DJ Boom Boom offering a terse statement alluding to missed times due to lateness on the part of the artistes.