In the New Living Translation version of the Bible, John 1:5 reads, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” Perhaps this enlightening quote from scripture sums up STING 2012 in a nutshell: A night filled with few stellar performances standing out above the drama and sub-standard efforts that dominated Dancehall’s biggest stage show.

STING 2012 was hyped in recent weeks as a revamped stage show focusing on strong performances, unearthing more young talent and an adjusted clash format. Though the show left a somewhat disappointing taste in the minds of hardcore Dancehall fans, some noteworthy acts and less recognizable names added flavor to an event that has lost some taste in recent years.

After a number of unknown acts and a clash of the bands dominated the first few hours of STING, it took a couple of veterans to finally put life into the show; primarily Wickaman, who delivered a spirited performance while honoring his long-time friend and fellow deejay, Captain Barkey, delving into their catalogue of hits from the 90s and 2000s.

Fellow veteran, Lady G proved she still has gas left in the tank while comedic entertainer Food Kartel also engaged the crowd by ‘cooking’ some of this year’s biggest hits like Uncle Demon (Shook) and many others.

However, it was a newcomer that really ignited the crowd inside Jamworld in Portmore early Thursday morning as emerging Reggae star, Chronixx elevated his worth, delivering a wholesome set capped off by his smash hit, Warrior while proving himself as a must-see attraction for 2013 and beyond. From there, things heated up as ‘The Strong One,’ Etana gave a rousing set while Iba Mahr and I-Wayne also delivered strong sets.