Having barely caught his breath after two spectacular nights at Queen’s Hall on the weekend, Sparrow was back at his think desk this week completing a brand new calypso for Carnival 2005. Titled Are We Safer Now?, the song takes a broadside swipe at the George Bush administration and its ill-advised decision to invade Iraq.

At the risk of being branded a Spektakula Promotions and Sparrow sympathiser, I must say that the 1,500 people who were fortunate to attend the Sparrow’s 50th anniversary concert at Queen’s Hall shared in a special and memorable experience. They, in an audience which included government ministers Eulalie James and Eddie Hart, CL Financial mogul Lawrence Duprey, Neil Jones and former government ministers Carlos John and Ganga Singh, saw the Calypso King of the World at his best.

It would take too much space for me to offer an in-depth review of the concert so I’ll just choose the most special moments to me. These were Denyse Plummer’s spirited performance of Nah Leavin’; nine-year-old pannist Keisha Codrington’s solo of Sparrow’s Rose; Sparrow’s a capella rendition of Willie Dead; and, the spot-on musical accompaniment by an aggregation which included the likes of Pelham Goddard, Tony Voisin, Vonrick Maynard and Robert Patrick “Bird” Spicer.

All I can add to what has already been said about last weekend is, just as there can be only one Muhammed Ali, Pele or Sir Gary Sobers, there can only be one Mighty Sparrow and doing what he does at 69 must make him one of the world’s greatest entertainers of all time.