Fans chant for more as Kirk Franklin battles time constraints on stage

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While the night had its moments of frustration, renowned gospel singer Kirk Franklin delivered an electrifying and high-energy performance for fans in Trinidad.

The Prisoners No More concert, staged by Jubilee Generation, began promptly at 6 pm at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, featuring local artistes such as Blessed Messenger, Gates Praise, and Jaron Nurse, who entertained the early crowd. Even the headliner himself was spotted enjoying the local talent.

Shortly before 9.30 pm, the 20-time Grammy Award-winning artiste took the stage, performing some of his biggest hits, including Smile, He Reigns, Hosanna, and Stomp.

At 10 pm, Franklin informed the audience that he had been told he had only “14 minutes left” to perform.

“But I’m going to act like I didn’t pay any attention to them. I came all the way to give you more than just 14 minutes. I do not want to leave in 14 minutes,” he told the crowd.

“If the police take me off, somebody come get me out of jail, and I’ll come back on stage and I’ll keep doing the concert… I’m gonna take as long as I want to. These people paid their money,” he added.

Despite repeatedly being reminded by officials to wrap up, Franklin pressed on, rushing through songs while occasionally signalling his frustration. At one point, he even mimicked being handcuffed by officials.

Just after 10.15 pm, while performing his 1997 hit Stomp, Franklin expressed his love for Trinidad before finishing the song, tossing his microphone into the air, and exiting the stage. Patrons immediately began chanting for his return, with some offering loud apologies from the audience.

Speaking backstage with Guardian Media, Franklin did not comment on the time restrictions but instead praised the audience.

“I can’t wait to come back. It was amazing. The people were beautiful… thank you for inviting me. I’ll be back and I’ll give you more,” he said.

As Franklin prepared to leave, fans crowded his exit, pleading with him to stay.

He approached them, joking that he “almost went to jail,” assuring them he was unbothered and promising to return in the future, while the small crowd continued offering apologies. One patron even invited him to join them later on “d Avenue.”