THE Best of the Best lived up to its reputation as one of the finest reggae and dancehall stage shows in North America by giving the estimated 20,000 patrons at Bicentennial Park in Downtown, Miami last Sunday more than their money's worth.

Singer Tarrus Riley, senior deejay Shabba Ranks, Damian and Stephen Marley, Assassin, and Vybz Kartel (via satellite from Jamaica) delivered knock-out performances that kept the musical energy pounding throughout the venue.

 Riley, accompanied by his back-up singer and Dean Fraser on saxophone, charmed the ladies with his arsenal of lovers' rock hits.

Touching on a variety of topics, ranging from social issues to current affairs; black consciousness; and unity, Riley engaged and interacted with the audience, particularly the females, who appeared intoxicated from his musical offerings.

Riley put the lid on a near half-hour set with She's Royal but not before captivating the audience with Lion Paw, Love's Contagious, Getty Getty, Superman, Human Nature, Shaka Zulu Pickney and Start Anew.

Shabba Ranks was in fine nick as he reeled out hit after hit. Missing from the Jamaican scene for a while, the Grammy-winning toaster showed why he is still in demand on the reggae scene stateside.

Just the mere introduction of the Marleys was enough to illicit an uproar from the audience. Both Stephen and Damian worked the stage to full effect, delivering a strong performance with Welcome To Jamrock, Traffic Jam, Shootout, and The Mission. The sons of the late reggae icon Bob Marley then invited dancehall toaster Spragga Benz on stage to tag team on their recent chart-topping single Jah Army.

Despite the time constraint, Assassin was in great form as he ran unchecked with Good Over Evil, Talk How Mi Feel, Everywhere We Go, Wah Do Dem Guy Deh, Almighty Protect and Hand Inna Di Air.

The much-anticipated performance from dancehall's current crusader Vybz Kartel, via satellite from Jamaica and beamed on a backdrop on the main stage, went down well with patrons, especially the women who rushed closer to the stage to enjoy bite-sized portions of his hits, among them Touch A Button Nuh, Clarks, Jeans And Fitted, Bicycle, Love Dem, Completely, Tun Up Di Scheme and Cake Soap.

The women on the line-up justified their presence, as Etana scored with Free, Jah Jah Blessing and I Am Not Afraid; and Tifa sparkled with Spell It Out, If I Could Fly and Move Yu Body.

"The show was really good, and better than I expected," Tifa commented backstage following her performance. It was her first time performing at the event.

Soca queen Alison Hinds injected some excitement with Roll It Gal, Ride Mi Riddim and Faloma.

Dancehall artiste Danielle roared on stage with an explicit number but it was Beat It and Rebel with Cherine Anderson that really caught the attention of the audience.

Other creditable performances came from I-Octane, Sanchez, Romain Virgo, Richie Loop with D Major and radio jock-turn — entertainer Liquid.

DJ Khaled threw in a bit of hip hop as he brought on rappers Ludacris and Busta Rhymes who combined on All I Do Is Win and other popular treats.

The event was incident free, and entertainers obeyed the promoters' instructions to avoid the usual bungling on stage and hanging out backstage.

The only downside to Best of the Best was the delay in the running order. This resulted in some entertainers having to cut their performances short as the promoters were running against time for the midnight cut-off.