After their electric performance here at this excellent mid sized venue last summer ( August 2000 ) The Wailers return to a not surprisingly rammed night.
First off original Wailers
Aston ‘Family Man’ Barret ( Bass ), Al Anderson ( Guitar ) and Earl ‘Wire’ Lindo ( Keys ) lead the band through a couple of bubbling instrumental tunes before launching into the instantly recognisable opening lines of ‘Natural Mystic’. ‘Natural Mystic’ hails the arrival of singer Gary ‘Nesta’ Pine and is accompanied by two female backing singers for the I three affect.
‘Natural Mystic’ is followed by thumping renditions of ‘Real Situation’ and ‘I Shot The Sheriff’. A blinding lead solo from
AL Anderson during the following ‘Rebel Music’ ensures that our feet can’t stay still. We are then treated to ‘Roots Rock Reggae’, ‘Trench Town Rock’, ‘Keep On Moving’, and ‘Running Away’. ‘Running Away’ flows seamlessly into ‘Crazy Baldheads’ and the audiences gets it’s hips swinging low. The following ‘Natty Dread’ gets us back up on our toes for a great skiptastical rendition. I’m somewhere near the front of the venue and looking back over my shoulder to the back of the hall, I see that the whole place is enjoying a unified skank.
The band continue on dishing out a feast of Wailers classics A high point of which is ‘Rastaman Vibration’ which closes with Pine saluting his deity H.I.M Sellassie. We are then urged to ‘Lively Up Yourselves’ and the audience respond with cheers and singing every word back in response.
After this the hits keep coming, we keep dancing and I get too lost in the moment to be able to tell you much more except that they played ‘Bend Down Low’, ‘Kaya’ and loads more including a spine tingling ‘No Woman No Cry’. This is the song that most felt like Bob was with us, as the atmosphere went electric. The Wailers close the set with a heartfelt version of ‘Stir It Up and a rousing jammed out ‘Jammin’.
As the band leave the stage the crowd go absolutely mental until The Wailers eventually return with an instrumental ‘Familyman’ tune followed by an extended version of ‘Exodus’ A fitting close to a storming night.
Conclusion : Okay so admittedly ‘The Wailers’ do miss the real thing, namely Bob. But this is 2001 and sadly Bob is here only in the spirit of the songs and universal messages that he left behind.
Ninety percent of the audience here tonight were here for the hits and though I’m sure we are all more than satisfied with this rousing tribute set. I can’t help thinking that it would have been nice to hear a few new numbers. That ( I feel ) would show The Wailers as more than a tribute to a thing of the past. It would also have been good to hear new material featuring the new singer in his own light.
Some cynics may accuse the remaining musicians of cashing in on Bobs legacy but there are at least two good reasons why they’d be wrong. Firstly for those of us of weren’t lucky enough to catch ‘The Real Situation’ this is a blinding salute to a true prophet. Secondly the songs that Bob Marley And The Wailers created are so ingrained in the public consciousness. That it’s all too easy to forget that behind every one of these greatest hits. There lies an important message that we can all learn by. A message of peace, of love, unity and harmony. I firmly believe that Bob would have wanted his messengers to carry on spreading the word and with the addition of Gary Nesta Pine admirably handling the vocals, those messages can be carried forth. Bobs spirit lives on in his music and The Wailers are keeping his memory fresh for all of us.
