I’ve been to quite a few Caribbean music festivals but could not contain my excitement to visit Turks and Caicos this past weekend. Besides my craving to try cracked conch and the fresh lobster — the island’s lobster season started on Tuesday — I was looking forward to hearing one of my favorite R&B singers of this generation. It had been such a long time since I’d seen Alicia Keys in concert and I was really looking forward to catching her headline Saturday night’s show after John Legend.

It is noteworthy to say that by the time Saturday night’s show at the Turtle Cove Marina rolled around, I had seen everyone from Kenny Rogers and India.Arie to the Miss Turks and Caicos Pageant on the main stage. The Music and Cultural Festival seriously had a diverse lineup, and after seeing the people jam to Kenny Rogers I was worried Alicia might not be able to capture the crowd’s attention.

Let me tell you, that was not the case. Not only were grown men jumping to their feet and singing along to every word, but Alicia looked amazing in her fitted turquoise jeans and sparkly silver tank. She reminded the crowd just how hot she was onstage at the outdoor venue, but despite the temperature, she gave her all through a set that included performances of “Unbreakable,” “Karma,” and an island re-working of “You Don’t Know My Name” mixed with the remix of “Ghetto Story,” which brought the usually chill crowd to its feet.

Alicia told the audience that she wanted to share a song from her upcoming album called “That’s the Thing About Love,” which she later told me was a track that she helmed with Linda Perry. After finishing off with “Fallen” and “If I Ain’t Got You,” she returned with an encore cover of Bob Marley’s “War.” Despite the humidity and the near-fanatical men feeling Miss Keys, the show was amazing and left me eager to hear more of Alicia’s new music. On Sunday night, the King of the South, T.I., made his debut at the festival. But who could really have a bad time in Turks and Caicos listening to the greats under the stars?