Chapter 12 · Concerts, Jamaica

BZR WKND Jamaica, edition by edition

Contemporary reports confirm the Chris Brown debut, record later postponements and cancellation, and name different partners across the advertised editions.

The Ryan Burke Public Record · Updated November 11, 2026 · How this record was compiled

BZR WKND’s first Jamaican edition ended with Chris Brown performing at the National Stadium on the night of August 27, 2023. That completed concert is documented by contemporary reporting, not merely by an announcement. The later editions have a less complete record: a July 2024 postponement citing Hurricane Beryl, an advertised April 2025 Carnival show later reported canceled for weather, and an October 2026 concert postponed after Cardi B withdrew. The same event name does not make their lineups, partners or outcomes interchangeable.^{1 2 3}

The editions at a glance

The table separates scheduled dates from verified performances. For 2024, a later Billboard account refers to a staging with Spice, Masicka and SQUASH, but the contemporary postponement report and a March 2025 account do not establish when such a replacement event occurred. That inconsistency remains unresolved rather than being converted into a confirmed concert date.^{2 3 4}

2023: the Jamaican debut

The July launch described BZR as a Miami-origin weekend being brought to Jamaica for the first time. In The Gleaner’s July 16 interview, Ryan Burke was described as a record executive, producer, talent manager and promoter. He said the choice of Chris Brown followed conversations with promoters and consumers about whom they wanted to see. Burke told the paper that Brown was excited about the show and that the organizers were working with their own production team and Brown’s team on the experience.⁵

The advertised finale was “Chris Brown and Friends,” a stop on the Under the Influence tour at the National Stadium on Sunday, August 27. The initial advertised friends included Sean Kingston, Teejay, Ding Dong, Byron Messia and Davo, with surprise guests left unnamed. Radio Jamaica later reported that Aidonia and Byron Messia had been added to the lineup. These are accounts of the advertised program, not proof that every announced performer completed a set.^{5 11}

The weekend itself was wider than the stadium show. The Gleaner’s launch account listed five events across August 25–27: an invitation event at the AC Hotel, Memba Dis at Hope Gardens, a Port Royal brunch, Indigo at Hope Gardens and the National Stadium concert. Later publicity described the brunch as Rise & Toast, with Jada Kingdom, and Indigo with Walshy Fire. These accompanying events help explain why organizers’ audience projections were sometimes expressed for the whole weekend rather than for a single concert.^{5 12}

The Gleaner named VEW Live, Solid Agency, Burke Bodley and UCA, expanded as Universal Creative Agency, among the partners. The Observer’s July 14 launch report and its August 29 review used a somewhat different list: Solid Agency, Burke Bodley, VEW Live LLC + PLXYBOY, and Jay Upscale. The lists overlap but are not identical. Neither article supplies a signed partnership agreement, revenue allocation or statement that Ryan Burke personally owned each named business.^{1 5 13}

Ticket prices and the suite debate

The starting price was consistently reported as US$45 for the bleachers. The highest published figure was less consistent. The Observer’s launch story described early-bird prices extending to US$15,000 for limited Sky VEW suites; The Star’s July 17 article gave a range up to US$10,000. Later coverage described suites costing approximately J$1.5 million. These reports should not be treated as a single, audited ticket-price schedule.^{13 14 12}

The expensive offer was a group package, not simply one ordinary admission seat. Caribbean National Weekly described a Skyview suite package with 12 all-inclusive Ultra VIP concert tickets and 12 VIP passes to the accompanying parties. It also described parking passes, express entry, a hostess, private security, bottles and food and bathroom access. That context matters when comparing the suite price with the US$45 bleacher admission. The sources do not establish the final price paid by every suite purchaser.¹⁵

On August 3, DancehallMag reported that all 12 Sky VEW suites had sold, citing a release from Solid Agency. The same report said tier-two tickets and cabanas were still available. A sold-out suite category is not itself evidence that every section of the stadium was sold out at that point. Billboard would later describe the debut as sold out, but no box-office ledger or stadium turnstile count was supplied in these reports.^{12 3}

The suite prices generated social-media ridicule and an unusual accompanying news story: concert loans. The Star reported that E-Loan Microfinancing was offering J$100,000 loans with 12 months to repay and J$1.5 million loans with four years to repay. Its managing director described the offer as a response to demand for leisure borrowing. This was a lender’s business offer associated with the concert, not evidence that the BZR organizers themselves extended credit or required buyers to borrow.¹⁴

Caribbean National Weekly’s later account likewise discussed the loan offer and the online price debate. Neither that report nor The Star’s article provides a verified number of people who actually borrowed for BZR, their final borrowing costs or the proportion of concert tickets financed that way. The loan coverage documents the public reaction to premium pricing without establishing those wider financial effects.^{14 15}

Projections and the crowd actually reported

The launch coverage carried different projections. The Observer said 45,000 patrons were expected. The Gleaner quoted a projection of more than 47,000 over 48 hours. By August, a release reported by DancehallMag projected more than 50,000 across five events over 72 hours. The figures come from different dates and descriptions of the event period; they are not three independent counts of the stadium audience.^{13 5 12}

Radio Jamaica’s August 2 story repeated an expectation of more than 45,000 patrons. Its wording, like the launch reports, was prospective. The Observer’s post-show review said “thousands” filed into the National Stadium and described occupied bleachers, grandstands, VIP and VVIP sections. Billboard’s 2026 retrospective called the 2023 debut sold out. Those accounts support a large, completed event, but do not verify an exact attendance number or the economic projections made beforehand.^{11 1 3}

The contemporary review gives the clearest performance record. It describes Brown’s harness-assisted entrance, choreography, graphics and songs from different periods of his career. It also reports a surprise appearance by Valiant during Brown’s set. Its account of the music and the audience was favorable, and patrons interviewed afterward praised the performance. A dossier of disputes should retain that reporting rather than imply that the inaugural headliner failed to appear.¹

Admission delays and vendor complaints

There was also a documented problem before the performance. In an August 27 post, The Gleaner reported that early patrons were denied access ahead of the concert and that vendors complained of missed sales opportunities as police tried to control the crowd. The post credited video reporting to Nathaniel Stewart. It does not state a verified duration for the delay or provide an organizer’s explanation for it.¹⁶

The Gleaner’s launch story had advertised the stadium event from 4 p.m. to midnight. The Observer’s review places Brown’s own entrance after midnight and the conclusion after 2 a.m. Those are different kinds of times: the advertised event window and the observed headliner’s set. They establish that the finale ran beyond the published window. They do not establish a promised individual set time, an intentional delay or the cause of the earlier admission problem.^{5 1}

Pre-event security arrangements were separately reported. Radio Jamaica described an Instagram notice from the Jamaica Constabulary Force telling licensed firearm holders that storage would be available at the Firearm Licensing Authority, not at the stadium. That was a security instruction for the concert. It is not evidence that a weapons incident occurred at BZR and should not be used to suggest one.¹⁷

The admission complaint and favorable performance review address different parts of the night. Both can be accurate. The available sources do not quantify the vendors’ lost sales, identify a compensation agreement for them or establish a court finding over the entry arrangements. No verified 2023 patron-refund accounting was found in the sources reviewed.¹⁶

A supplier claim reported in 2024 concerned the 2023 show

A supplier dispute became public the following year, but it related to supplies for the August 2023 Chris Brown concert. On September 7, 2024, The Gleaner reported that Hardware and Lumber had filed a Supreme Court claim on August 2 against Sharon Burke and Solid View Limited. The supplier alleged an unpaid balance of J$5,687,827.82 and administrative or recovery charges of J$1,137,585.56, as well as interest. These were amounts claimed, not a verified judgment.¹⁸

The reported particulars alleged that Sharon Burke identified herself as the customer for Solid View, sought urgent delivery of supplies shortly before the concert and personally guaranteed payment. The supplier said the transaction was supposed to be cash-on-delivery and that goods were supplied without complete payment. The Gleaner described a later formal demand and unsuccessful efforts to settle the matter.¹⁸

The distinction between the two promoters is essential. Sharon Burke appeared in the earlier event reporting in connection with Solid Agency. The supplier article named her and Solid View as the defendants. It does not permit this publication to add Ryan Burke as a debtor, assign him the claimed balance or describe the lawsuit as a judgment against his companies.^{13 18}

On September 10, The Gleaner published Sharon Burke’s denial. She said the goods were purchased by Solid View, that she was a director but not the owner, and that the company had been formed for the event. Her statement said the transaction was between two companies. Her lawyer, Isat Buchanan, questioned why she was named personally and said she had not yet been personally served.¹⁹

No signed claim, case number, judgment or settlement in that Jamaican supplier matter was independently retrieved for this chapter. The reporting supports an attributed dispute and a reported filing. It does not establish the current debt or final liability of either reported defendant. Its appearance in September 2024 must not be mistaken for a vendor dispute arising from a completed 2024 BZR edition.^{18 19}

2024: a return announced, then postponed

The Observer’s April 27, 2024 announcement said VEW Live would bring BZR back from July 26–28 at the National Stadium. It described two premium party events on Friday and Saturday, followed by a concert finale on Sunday, July 28. The article quoted VEW Live and the TGE Consulting team and directed readers to BZR’s Instagram for further details. It did not identify the promised international headliner.⁶

A joint Instagram post by Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle and BZR, dated April 24, provided more partner names. Its caption described VEW Live and PLXYBOY as organizers partnering with Eyes Above Water, associated there with Sean Kingston, UCA and TGE Consulting Ltd. It identified Ryan Burke as BZR’s president and producer. This is a published promotional description; it does not establish the contractual allocation of production costs or the legal obligations of each partner.²⁰

The partner list differs from the 2023 reporting. Solid Agency, Burke Bodley and Jay Upscale were named in the debut reports, while the retrieved 2024 caption highlighted Eyes Above Water and TGE. That change is a fact about the publicity. Without agreements or a statement explaining the transition, it would be speculation to describe why partners changed or to assume that every earlier partner remained responsible for the new edition.^{13 20}

On July 19, The Star reported that organizers had announced a postponement the previous day because of Hurricane Beryl’s damage in Jamaica. Their statement said they were directing attention to relief efforts and would reschedule BZR to “a later date this autumn.” It also said the decision was intended to protect attendees, staff and the local community.²

The release promised cooperation with local organizations and authorities, including resources, manpower and financial support for recovery. It also promised additions to the future festival experience. The report verifies those announcements. It does not contain receipts for relief spending, identify completed restoration work or establish that the replacement production was mounted.²

Refunds and the missing replacement date

Organizers said purchased tickets would remain valid for the new date. Patrons unable to attend were directed to their ticket vendors for a full refund. The Star said further details of the new date and additions would be announced later. It gave neither a fixed replacement date nor a deadline by which each refund would be paid.²

This distinction leaves two separate gaps. One is what happened to the event: no independently verified autumn date or post-show account was located in the reviewed sources. The other is what happened to ticket payments: the refund offer is documented, but records showing how many refunds were requested, paid or still outstanding were not found. The absence of that accounting does not establish that no one was refunded.²

Billboard’s August 2026 preview creates an unresolved complication. It states that Spice, Masicka and SQUASH “anchored the fest’s 2024 staging.” That is a published retrospective assertion, but the article gives no date or venue for the staging it describes. By contrast, Kaboom Magazine’s March 30, 2025 Carnival announcement says BZR’s last Jamaican staging took place in 2023. Neither article explains the discrepancy.^{3 4}

Accordingly, this chapter records the July postponement as confirmed by contemporary reporting and the later lineup description as Billboard’s account. It does not claim that the original July 26–28 program occurred, nor that a later edition definitely did not occur. A dated program, venue confirmation or contemporaneous review would be needed to settle the chronology.

No independently verified 2024 artist-payment dispute or vendor lawsuit was located that could be attributed to that edition. A Prism Marketing Consultants item sometimes described as “threatened BZR litigation” is a November 2026 report of the organizers’ intended action against Cardi B. It is not a report that Prism threatened to sue BZR over 2024 services. It is kept with the later dispute rather than converted into an earlier adverse claim.²¹

2025: the Carnival Edition at Sabina Park

On March 30, 2025, Kaboom Magazine reported the organizers’ announcement of a Carnival Saturday show at Sabina Park on April 26. Sexyy Red was the advertised headliner, with Shenseea and Dexta Daps. The announced lineup also included Trinidadian soca performers Nailah Blackman, Yung Bredda and Lady Lava. The venue and Carnival branding distinguished the proposed event from the National Stadium summer weekend advertised in 2024.⁴

The announcement described Sexyy Red’s appearance as a Jamaican debut. It also recalled the 2023 Chris Brown event, rather than providing a record of a 2024 replacement show. Its lineup is evidence of what organizers said they intended to present. It is not a performance review, artist contract or confirmation that each fee had been received.⁴

Billboard later reported that BZR WKND 2025 was “ultimately canceled due to inclement weather” and named Sexyy Red, Shenseea and Dexta Daps as its intended leading acts. That supplies an attributed cancellation explanation, but it is retrospective reporting from August 2026. No contemporaneous cancellation notice, venue weather report or detailed refund reconciliation was independently retrieved for this chapter.³

A separate set of financial allegations appears in Hugh Echols and John Mosley’s June 13, 2025 verified complaint in Illinois. The plaintiffs allege that contracts for “BZR WKND Jamaica Carnival Edition 2025” bore the letterheads of VEW Live, Vision Entertainment Worldwide and Universal Creative Agency. They list payments of $15,645.95 on February 14, $150,000 on March 15, $62,500 on March 24 and $70,000 on April 4. The four amounts add to $298,145.95.⁷

The plaintiffs also allege an undocumented wire to Sabina Park, a cease-and-desist communication and a promise to return their money on April 8. These alleged events precede the advertised April 26 show. The complaint is therefore not a documented ticket-refund claim by ordinary patrons after a weather cancellation. It concerns their asserted project contributions, contractual representations and handling of payments.⁷

The difference matters for both chronology and amounts. Billboard’s weather explanation does not answer the complaint’s earlier allegations. Conversely, a filed civil complaint does not establish that the weather explanation was false. No judicial finding in the freely available materials resolves the relationship between the financial dispute and the ultimate cancellation.^{3 7}

The Illinois docket records an October 2025 appearance for “Putative Defendant Ryan Matthew Burke, erroneously sued as ‘Ryan Burke’,” followed by a jurisdiction-dismissal motion. It later records a January 20, 2026 judgment and September 2026 orders, but their operative terms were not freely available for review. Those facts, the plaintiffs’ four counts and their damages request are covered in Echols & Mosley v. Burke. This edition history does not describe the plaintiffs as having won their claim.²²

No independent 2025 ticket-refund accounting was verified. The complaint’s alleged project payments should not be added to an assumed ticket-refund balance, and the remedies requested there should not be treated as compensation already recovered. Ticketing records, a cancellation release and the operative court documents remain necessary to complete the financial record of the Carnival Edition.^{7 22}

Companies and partners named across the editions

The source descriptions below preserve the distinction between a news report’s partner list, a pleading’s named defendants and a company registry. Being named in publicity does not establish liability for another partner’s debts. Nor does a recurring brand name prove that a new edition used the same contracting entity.

V12 Group LLC was filed in Florida on March 2, 2026, under document number L26000124570. The reviewed record shows active status, Roy Morgan as registered agent and Ryan Burke with the title AMBR. Its formation date falls after the earlier editions. Nothing in that record makes it the contracting party for the 2023, 2024 or 2025 events. The public company record and BZR’s 2026 statement establish a present connection, not retroactive responsibility.^{24 10}

The event’s 2026 refund statement is signed “V12 Group and the BZR WKND Jamaica Team.” Its footer also uses the company name with a typographical error. The signed statement is the clearer public connection between the event branding and V12. Full contracts would still be needed to identify which legal entity undertook each artist, venue, ticketing and supplier obligation. Further corporate records are discussed in the companies chapter.¹⁰

2026 in brief: announcement, withdrawal and postponement

Billboard announced Cardi B on August 14 for an October 18 National Stadium concert within an October 16–19 weekend. Government officials spoke at the August 26 launch: Jamaica Information Service reported remarks by Olivia Grange and Delano Seiveright and a projection of more than 50,000 patrons across four days. Those were promotional expectations, not achieved attendance or proof of a public payment guarantee.^{3 8}

Government attendance is documented, but the Ministry of Culture later denied any commitment or payment toward appearance or other fees and described the concert as a private commercial engagement. A specific Jamaica Tourist Board financing agreement or artist-fee undertaking was not verified. The official launch coverage should not be erased by the later denial, and it should not be inflated into financial sponsorship.^{8 25}

Cardi B’s team announced her withdrawal on October 8. Organizers moved the concert to December 20 and offered refunds or continued ticket validity. DancehallMag and Caribbean National Weekly reported those terms; BZR’s live site now advertises December 19–20 and says an updated lineup will be announced. It does not confirm Cardi B as the replacement headliner.^{9 26 10}

On November 3, the Observer reported patrons still waiting for refunds and said its efforts to contact organizers were unsuccessful. On November 4, organizers apologized and said all outstanding refunds had been processed and issued, while allowing further bank-processing time. This verifies the complaint and subsequent response, not receipt by every purchaser.²⁷

The fee dispute, artist response, refund chronology and litigation threats are examined in the Cardi B cancellation chapter. TVJ’s Entertainment Report also distinguished the older team from the new staging, reporting that Sharon Burke had publicly said she was not involved in 2026. The debut’s partner list should therefore not be carried forward wholesale.²⁹

What remains unresolved

Exact 2023 attendance and vendor-loss totals are not verified. The supplier suit reported in 2024 lacks an independently retrieved case number and disposition. The 2024 replacement date and staging remain unresolved because the reports conflict; full refund and relief-spending accounts were not found. For 2025, the contemporaneous cancellation notice, ticket-refund record and disputed project-payment documentation are missing. Across editions, the contracts allocating responsibilities among partners were unavailable. A verified JTB funding undertaking, complete 2026 refund reconciliation and confirmed replacement lineup or venue booking have not been established here. The 2026 artist dispute remains separately attributed in Chapter 13.