Before I get into the details of the show, I just want to say that if you have not checked out Stephen Marley live, you really are missing out on something special. Seriously, if you like reggae, if you claim to like Bob Marley (and most people do) and you haven’t seen him or heard his album Mind Control, I’m not sure why.

Marley played a late show, meaning the doors opened at 11:00pm. For some reason, the TLA double-booked that night.  When I arrived at the TLA at about ten after, the line stretched down two blocks.

As I walked into the foyer, I heard the “hype man” say, “Steee-phen Mahr-lay!”  I was just in time to see the band start playing “Jammin’.” The bouncy Caribbean vibes twisted into a jazzier piece, as the two Marley sisters/back-up singer girls danced out across the stage. The flag waver followed.  Finally, Marley appeared and the crowd gave huge applause to his chants of “eww-aye eww-aye-eee-aye!”

Stephen did not wait for the crowd to settle before kicking off “Chase Dem,” a song off of last year’s Mind Control. The band played an unusually funky version.  In fact, for part of the song, the guitar sounded like it had a wah wah effect. Marley’s passion overwhelmed as the song reached its climax. He grasped his face, as he sang “get dem out, get dem out!”

The crowd was in for a treat with the next two songs, which were covers of Stephen’s legendary father.  First up, was a surprise, “Duppy Conqueror,” a timeless song, but not one of Bob’s most famous. I thought that perhaps we might be treated to a slightly different selection of covers, rather than the usual options off of Legend.

A highlight of the evening was when Stephen kicked off not only one of his father’s masterpieces, but what most would consider a landmark song, poem and piece of art in “Redemption Song.” It quickly turned into an amazing sing-along.  It felt like we were all witnessing something special, a truly magical experience.  The last time through the famous chorus, after “won’t you help me sing,” Stephen held the mic out and let the crowd continue on its own. “These songs of freedom? It’s all I ever have. Redemption songs.”

Before joining back in for a final “redemption song” and a huge eruption, Marley took back over and made it a point to emphasize “emancipate yourself form mental slavery,” repeating it twice.

The song flowed straight into the next one, “Mind Control.” However, it was “Hey Baby,” one of the standout tracks off of his album that impressed. I still find it amazing how Stephen handles Mos Def’s part, as if it was his own. In fact, later in the night, Marley proved how talented he was and that he could handle Damian’s parts as well.

Another highlight of the evening was “No Woman, No Cry.” I could have sworn that it was Bob singing up on the stage. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this live and it caught me a bit off guard when I heard the first notes.  It was such a surreal experience to hear one of my favorite present songs, followed by Bob’s classic. If someone pinched me and I rolled over to see my wife in bed, I still would have been happy.

It was great to see Stephen having so much fun, teasing the dancer/backup singers during “Three Little Birds” and getting the crowd jumping into a climactic frenzy for “Buffalo Soldier,” like it was a hyped up hip hop or punk show.  “Let Her Dance,” surprised me. One of the backup singers’ vocals at the beginning of the song were chilling, but as the song developed, her voice became stronger. By the time the song reached its apex, I think everyone in the venue had goose bumps.

Finally, the “Officer Jimmy (Interlude)” played, meaning it was time for “Traffic Jam” and “Jr. Gong.”  However, Damian didn’t come out as expected and the band kicked off “Iron Bars” instead.  It was a great rendition, but the crowd grew a little antsy in anticipation for the younger brother’s toasting. Soon, the band did kick off “Traffic Jam,” but there was still no sign of Damian. Stephen was left to handle both parts of the duet. Dam ran onto the stage later in the song laughing, as the crowd, raucous with excitement, sang along.

The next two songs were tracks off Damian’s album Welcome to Jamrock, “All Night” and “Pimpa’s Paradise.” The latter was incredible. Damian asked everyone light up their lighters or cell phones and, as the brothers kicked off the song, stars shined off the back drop, lit off of a disco ball. This ambiance fit nicely with lines such as, “she rise and she fall like a star.” Damian’s verses were on point and his voice sounded flawless.

The brothers showcased their new song “The Mission,” which is a track now featured on Stephen’s MySpace page.  From here, they went straight into “Welcome to Jamrock,” a song that everyone knew and everyone loves.  With that, I think most of us thought the show was over, but they still had a few more surprises.  In fact, the next song was “Could You Be Loved.” However, it was an extended modern version of the song.  Stephen led for a good three or four minutes, but then Dam took over and he went off, toasting in rapid fire mode.  I believe that they had blended Bob’s original with the “Jr. Gong” bonus track on Halfway Tree (I’m not sure the name of the song). Regardless, it was a fabulous rendition and a nice conclusion to the set.

The encore featured three Bob covers. The first, my personal favorite, was “Simmer Down” and featured Stephen doing an incredible rendition of a “young Bob” voice. Sometimes it is almost scary how good he sounds.  Next, was “One Love,” kicked up a notch and modernized. Stephen sang, “Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all…” He stopped and let a large pause hit the crowd, before continued with, “right!”  Heavy basslines grooving with light reggae laced over combined into a final chord.

Finally, it was time for the appropriately timed “Exodus.” Stephen’s young son Jeremiah took the stage for this one. This was another extended version that allowed Stephen to more or less sing the full version of the original, before Damian took over to do his rendition (bringing in his song “Move!” from Welcome to Jamrock.)

Overall, it was a great and long night. If I had any complaints, and there were not many, it was the same as last time I saw Stephen. With a 21 song set (by my count), I would expect to hear all of the best tracks off his album. Yet, he excluded one of my favorites in “You’re Gonna Leave,” one of the most beautiful songs from last year and probably one of the prettiest reggae/dub/whatever-you’d-classify-it-as that you’ll ever hear.  They also did not perform “Road to Zion,” my personal favorite Damian Marley song. This was actually the first track that I heard off “Welcome to Jamrock” and really turned me on to Damian’s style.

I also have a major complaint against the TLA. Why double book? I thought I arrived with plenty of time (45 minutes) before the show was supposed to start. However, the line was so long that by the time I walked through the doors, Marley was on stage. In fact, the venue scheduled the show so late that they could not have a proper opener. Instead, I believe there was a DJ to hold the lucky few over until the show started. Next time, let the Marley’s have the venue all to themselves—they can certainly hold it down.

Setlist:
01. Jamming
02. Chase Dem
03. Duppy Conqueror
04. Redemption Song
05. Mind Control
06. Hey Baby
07. No Woman, No Cry
08. Lonely Avenue
09. Three Little Birds
10. Buffalo Soldier
11. Let Her Dance
12. Iron Bars
13. Traffic Jam
14. All Night
15. Pimpa’s Paradise
16. The Mission
17. Welcome to Jamrock
18. Could You Be Loved
Encore
19. Simmer Down
20. One Love
21. Exodus

Categories: Concert Reviews, Features
Tags: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen Marley