Chronixx ends 'Exile'

At 8:28 p.m., there was a shift in the tempo at Lost in Time as if something big were about to happen. The emcee thanked the patrons for their support and announced that the upcoming act was last seen doing a full set in the summer of 2019.

"He has been putting the family first ... he's been in exile. Let's welcome Jamar!" the emcee said, and the crowd screamed.

They stood at attention, with their phones poised to capture the moment: Chronixx. The clock on the big screen ticked, and ticked, and tense minutes seemed like hours. But Chronixx wasn't lost in time; he was simply taking his time. Fire blazed from the stage, a signal that Chronixx was ready to command the centrestage with his opening number, Eternal Fire, and the crowd loved it. But they loved Here Comes Trouble even more, and the screams of approval were deafening.

He came with a message of "keep on rising to the top" and 'livicated' the song with that refrain from his 2025 Exile, his first major release in more than eight years, to Jamaica.

Before that, he had ' livicated' a song to the late Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare of the legendary duo Sly and Robbie.

Then the unexpected happened. Sound issues. But, instead of getting angry, fans started singing songs from his catalogue, while others stood patiently, waiting.

A timely return of the sound several minutes later saw Protoje join Chronixx on stage and, with fan satisfaction at a high, it was as if Lost in Time started all over again.

The third staging of Lost in Time saw headliner Chronixx, born Jamar McNaughton, close Sunday night's show, which featured Jesse Royal, Jah 9, Naomi Cowan, Dyani, Royal Blu and Dahvid Slur.

Festival co-producer Protoje closed day one with a bevvy of surprise guests, including Koffee, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, Stephen Marley, Romain Virgo and Alaine. He also welcomed Lila Ike and Mortimer back to the stage during his set.

Earlier performances came from Joby Jay, Iotosh, Yeza, Tanya Stephens and Tessanne Chin.