Today was the day. Our final Jaguar show was to be held at the Sapphire Beach Bar on St. Thomas. We were going to go out with a bang! We partnered with Priscilla Lynn of Street Level VI. Proceeds and donations from today’s show would go to her SLVI Youth Music Education Program Fund. It has always been important for Jaguar to give back to the USVI. It is a place that has changed our lives. We were also celebrating Becky Ponder Mitchell’s birthday of Everlong Excursions. Our newest best friends!
We did not get to play Sapphire Beach last summer. We were so happy to see our friends we haven’t seen since 2020. We were also thrilled to meet so many new people who became our new friends…
Meet new people, do cool things….in really cool places…
After our first set the Montessori Percussion Ensemble (the recipients of the SLVI Youth Music Education Program Fund) made their debut performance on the Sapphire Beach Bar Stage. There were a lot of proud parents in the audience. Great job by Music Director Joie Byrd. You guys were a tough act to follow.
By every metric our final show was a huge success. The money raised, the dancing, the singing, the smiles, the high fives, the encores, and all the new friends…..
This afternoon may have been the best show Jaguar has ever done. It as if the entire 34 year journey has been leading up to this moment. Jaguar could not be more proud of our last performance.
In 1989 we came here to play 4 weeks on St. Thomas and St. John. I was hoping to not get fired after our first night. We played for 4 months.
30 years later we reunited to come back and spend a week here. Our plan was only to relive the experience and have few laughs. 3 months later we came back to play our first show in 30 years. We thought, why not come back every year? We don’t have to recreate Jaguar. Let’s be the best Jaguar we can be right now. And here we are…..4 years later playing Sapphire Beach,… surrounded by so many friends and having the best time of our lives. Who would have believed it?
I did.
Shout out to our many friends who spent the afternoon with us:
Christine Blanck
Shane Prather
Andrew Clark (aka Drew Rock VI)
Sherrie Hetzel Davis
David W Whisler
Carmen Garcia
Alice E Engelhardt
Freddie Rabuse
Bill Creque (Drummer of Road Fever)
Mary Ann and Bill Brown
David Miles
Hayden Freeman
Ryan & Mumfy Diehl
Jon Rudy Ruedemann
Collette Grant
Paul Perkins
Wendy Erving
Lourdes Aguila & Nathan McClone
Debra White
Jennifer and Paul Kingman
Franca Tantillo
Susan Kinder
Gerry Cockrell
Lolly Bridges
Jessie Triplett
David Maugrion
Robin Ballard
Andy Easton
Becky Ponder Mitchell and Walter Petruska
* Send us a message if I missed anyone