Amy Winehouse Singing in the Rain at 2009 St. Lucia Jazz Festival

People all across the world have patiently waited for Amy Winehouse to return to the stage after a few personal setbacks. And she did, finally, as a headliner for the 2009 St. Lucia Jazz Festival on Friday night. But, according to NME, the troubled singer had no luck at all, as the set was plagued with technical difficulties and bad weather.
The five-time Grammy Award winner was playing “Tears Dry on Their Own,” at the 18th Annual St. Lucia Jazz Festival on the island where she frequently vacations, when the heavens opened up and a tropical rainstorm turned the historic Pigeon Island National Park into a muddy mess. Soon after the stage lighting was lost for several minutes. Adorned in her trademark beehive, heavy mascara and a slinky electric blue mini-dress, Winehouse tried to end the performance after the lights went out, but she instead continued the set with “You Know I’m No Good” while slumped over a monitor, before a backup singer helped her up. It was when she tried to cover the Zutons’ “Valerie” and failed, leaving the song to be finished without her, that the audience began to boo, realizing that the show was over. After struggling to remember some of her best known recorded material, mumbling through a few verses, the singer took her heels off after playing the song “Know You Now,” telling the 5,000-person crowd, “I am short and I don’t give a f—.”
It was her first performance of 2009 and it left a lot to be desired.
One well-placed American celebrity journalist sympathized that the 25-year old London native’s set wasn’t a far departure from her signature singing style, which heavily borrows from groundwork already laid by late jazz legend Billie Holiday and hip-hop soul superstar Lauryn Hill.

On the other hand, the British press criticized her, showing no mercy: “Her erratic behavior seemed to be getting stranger and stranger as the 45 minute set went on,” lambasted the popular UK tabloid, The Sun, in an article titled ‘Amy Is Back On The Boos.’ “Stumbling and forgetting words, she looked confused, relying heavily on her band, especially backing singer Zalon Thompson who had to single handily guide her to keep the show going.”
“She kept ordering roadies to bring more drinks, despite appearing to be on the verge of collapse, clinging to her microphone stand for support,” blasted The News of The World newspaper. “Then she began shouting at her backing singers for playing songs she’d never heard of - until they reminded her she wrote the tracks herself.”
“Amy would like to express her disappointment that weather forced the abandonment of her show at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival last night,” said a statement released by Chris Goodman, her spokesperson. “The set started well, but as the heavens opened, a number of technical difficulties occurred onstage, culminating with the lighting rig failing for two songs. In addition, rain began to flood the technical wings at the side of the stage, which caused sound problems. Amy and the band tried to soldier on, but the set had to be cut short. Amy is very disappointed, as St. Lucia has been wonderful to her and its people have welcomed her with open arms, but circumstances beyond anyone’s control meant that this special show did not go as planned.”
Winehouse’s next live show is scheduled for May 31 in London, where she will play in the series of concerts celebrating Island Records’ 50th birthday. Let’s hope Gods will be on her side then.