Chris McCarty, a past competitor of America’s Got Talent, uses looped instrumentals and vocals to accompany his acoustic guitar set.
The local charity event was successful but faced some challenges
St. Petersburg may have talent, but it was hard to tell last week.
On Nov. 12, Jannus Live hosted Saint Pete’s Got Talent for the second consecutive year, joined for the first time by Kobie Marketing.
There were technical problems with the sound. The producers fell 40 minutes behind schedule. Young and old meandered around the food vendors and silent auction waiting for the show to start. And by halfway through the program, most of the audience departed. The only people left were the producers, the performers and their families.
The night was not a total loss, however. The charity-driven event brought in the community to help donate food and money to St. Petersburg Free Clinic, which provides aid to the city’s homeless and other local charities.
Each of the 18 contestants required a company sponsor willing to donate $1,000.
A portion of these donations, as well as ticket money, and funds from the silent auction, made up the prize money for the top three acts, which would be donated to the charity of their choice.
“We want to make it a tradition within the community to go forward year after year [and] involve more companies,” said Taina Muniz, Kobie Marketing business analyst.
Anyone within a mile radius of Jannus Live in downtown St. Petersburg could hear the blasting music. Security guards kept filtering the crowd into the venue at a steady pace.
Yvonne Ulmer, 62, strolled out on the stage draped in a long black gown with her blonde hair elegantly pulled back.
As the lights rose, Ulmer belted out a rendition of Amy Grant’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The St. Petersburg local opened the show with her strong vocals and eminent stage presence.
“I performed a little theater at St. Pete high drama,” she said.
Ulmer warmed up the crowd, but Brielle Carter, the third act, really brought up the energy.
Carter’s solo mix of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Kanye West’s “Heartless” silenced chatter and ended in an eruption of claps and cheers. This helped set the stage for the following acts, including Chris McCarty, a past competitor on “America’s Got Talent.”
McCarty’s one-man-band style performance featured previously recorded music and vocals which he beatboxed and sang while strumming his acoustic guitar.
In the midst of his original song, he showed off some dance moves after announcing that it had been a year since his knee surgery.
“I play everywhere,” McCarty said. “It’s what I do.”
Several of the following acts sparked dancing and excitement from the crowd, while others left an awkward atmosphere. Halfway through the event, poor performances piled up, while issues with the sound tech crew caused sporadic screeches from the mic and wasted time between performances to check instruments.
After running 40 minutes behind schedule, the announcer revealed the winners of the competition. Those still left in the crowd shuffled in anticipation.
“I’m here to support the Universal Rock School,” Steve Savas, 34, said. “Probably the greatest rock school to ever be birthed in Largo.”
A final tally from the seven judges awarded Josh Cruz first place. He chose to donate his $20,000 prize to City Life Church. Lauren Crandell received second place and $10,000 for Suncoast YMCA. Finishing in third, Blackbird Morning earned Creative Clay $5,000.
Muniz commented that next year more time will be taken to plan the event, which after some responses from the crowd, may be necessary.
