IN a time when this country is grappling with a staggering crime rate, particularly an all-time high in murders, a ray of hope emerged through the passion and perseverance of pannist Joshua "D Pan Man" Regrello.
The talented pannist has achieved a remarkable feat, making two Guinness World Records (GWR) attempts, offering a much-needed moment of positivity and inspiration to a nation in need of a reminder of its strength.
Regrello's historic journey saw him setting out to set the records for the longest marathon playing the steelpan and the longest marathon playing a chrome pan (from the musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago) captured the hearts of people nationwide.
His initial goal was to play continuously for 30 hours at Wack Radio 91.1 FM, on Coffee Street in San Fernando from 6 am on December 27.
But in true form, Regrello pushed past the limit, extending his performance by an extra hour, completing a total of 31 hours, with only two 25-minute breaks.
At around 1.31 pm, confetti flew in the air, and there were louder cheers.
The event was streamed live across multiple platforms, including Wack Radio's, Regrello's, and other social media channels, for his performance to reach thousands of people from Trinidad and Tobago and the world.
Both in-person audiences and virtual followers cheered him on as he played tune after tune on the national instrument.
Among those cheering were relatives including his parents, former San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello and Kamla Regrello.
[caption id="attachment_1129357" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Joshua Regrello crosses the 30-hour mark during his pan marathon on December 28. - [/caption]
The overwhelming support and positive energy saw people flooding the social media platforms with messages of encouragement as the music sought to have created a unifying force.
For Regrello, this attempt was not just about setting a new benchmark.
"This is not just a victory for me but for everyone who had been a part of this, from planning to being here," he said after the feat.
He paid special attention to the witnesses, including police and fire officers, saying evidence could not have been submitted to GWR without the input from independent witnesses.
GWR, originally the Guinness Book of Records, is the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements.
Regrello also thanked everyone for the "overwhelming" experience and admitted that he was exhausted after playing for many hours.
He added, "People have been up watching since 6 am with us and stayed the entire time."
He said other musicians can accomplish so much with the steelpan.
Regrello said he did not think that it was impossible to extend his performance by an hour, considering his concerts are usually five to six hours of high-energy performances.
He explained that while there was not much preparation to extend, his being a seasoned performer and performing very often saw him to the end.
He believed he could have continued playing for 35 hours but stopped at 31 because of the limit
