Oh boy… Today I get to write our day at the Sapphire Beach Bar. Where do I start?
I will start with Nathan and Lourdes. The husband and wife team of Lourdes and the Switch. It is practically impossible for any band to travel to the Virgin Islands. The cost to move the equipment required is prohibitive. The Beach Bar in St. John provides all your equipment. To play St. Thomas it is complicated. Nathan offered to provide us all the equipment we needed to play Sapphire Beach. ALL THE EQUIPMENT. He even rearranged his band’s schedule so that the equipment was available. I don’t have the words to describe how generous this is. We would not be standing on the Sapphire Beach stage without them.
We normally play on one show on St. Thomas. That one show is always at Sapphire Beach. That show is always our last show. Everything we do leads up to this one last show. Let’s just say we were all very excited. We woke up Sunday morning to big dark rain clouds. Those clouds turned into heavy rain. I checked the forecast on 3 weather apps. No rain after 12 PM. Or as they say, if you don’t like the weather in St. Thomas, wait 15 minutes. The storm passed. Then the sun and blue skies appeared.
Jason, Deb and I met Nathan at his rehearsal studio at noon. We loaded up his drums and some additional gear he could not fit in his van. We headed to Sapphire Beach. Chris and Rick met us there with our instruments. Nathan helped us get set up and we had a quick sound check. We had not played Sapphire beach for 2 years. We were ready. I started seeing familar faces. Some people I knew. Some people I made it a point to meet. Walter had rented all the cabanas for Becky’s second birthday party. There were a lot of people. Pricilla brought her SLVI posse. Bill and Christie, Mary Ann, Lolly, Paul and Jennifer….the list goes on and on…. This was going to be big. Really Big.
Jaguar played 3 sets. As you can see from the pictures…we had a blast. It was a big wonderful party on the beach. Just having the opportunity to play on this stage after what we have been through the past 2 years was a miracle.
People sang with us. People danced with us. People laughed and partied with us. It was as good as a last show as you could hope for. After 30 some years these islands still feel like home. Thanks to everyone for spending the day at Sapphire Beach with us. We will remember this moment forever.
People sang with us. People danced beside us. They laughed, shouted, cheered, and turned the whole place into one giant wave of joy. It wasn’t just a concert—it was a shared celebration, the kind of magic that only happens when music, friends, and island breezes collide.
As final shows go, it doesn’t get better than this. After more than 30 years, these islands still feel like a second home—familiar, warm, and full of soul.
To everyone who came out and made Sapphire Beach shine a little brighter that day—thank you. For the energy, the love, the memories. This moment is burned into our hearts… and we’ll carry it with us, always.