Show: Ziggy Marley
Date: December 17, 2011
Venue: Club Nokia
City: Los Angeles, CA
Ziggy Marley
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Michelle Oberg
Reggae didn’t die with the godfather of the genre’s music in 1981. It is Bob Marley’s legacy that keeps the Marley name pinnacle to reggae music, as well as the Rastafarian movement, which still lives on. The love of rocksteady brought Los Angeles’s melting pot of dread adorners to Club Nokia to see the spawn of the legend, Ziggy Marley, bringing back into society the love of music, peace and family.
Though Ziggy’s career has almost as many accolades as his father, and is one the most notable members of the Marley brood, he does pay homage to the man, the myth and the legend, with tributes to Bob’s songs during his shows.
The venue is flowing with patrons of all ages, races, shapes and sizes as the 9-piece band enters the stage. “I need a revolution,” stated Marley, and with that, the group began their first song into the eve, “Personal Revolution,” to a receptive crowd. With the California medical marijuana card-carrying patrons in view, the place lit up faster than a building next to an arsonist with a can of gas and a handful of matches.
Based on experience in the concert-going scene, it’s not very often you see dancing, let alone dancing from people with rhythm. When Marley began “Freedom Road,” the skies opened up and love shined down. Another first was being at a show of this magnitude and not once being pushed, bumped into, or verbally accosted by fellow show-goers. And if a bump did happen, a full-blown apology for any discomfort (yes, I said discomfort) was given to the bumpee. Is there a way to recruit this bunch for all future shows?
“Welcome to the World,” which was released on his latest album, Wild and Free, embodies Marley’s love of music, his music, and brings it forth through his vocal delivery and smile that rarely leaves his face during performing. The piano in this song is fantastic—think Stevie Wonder meets Billy Joel, in the most unlikely of places.
The guitar solo for “Beach in Hawaii” is very mariachi-esque, which is surprising for the song’s title theme. As the song began, a guy from Hawaii introduced himself to the frontman and informed him that he had traveled to Los Angeles just for his show. This did not seem as if it was a planned event from the band. During the set, as a patron, you literally begin to feel the music coursing through your veins since the lyrics are simple, yet complex in their meaning, and the instrumentals reach inside you to pull out any form of artistic appreciation you have in any form. Whether dancing along, singing along or just tapping your foot, Marley’s music is an unstoppable force of feel-good entertainment.
As ziggy played guitar and sang, and his entourage of multifaceted collaborators played alongside, we realized, this may be one of the greatest shows we have seen this year. This peaceful show of merriment and music left Bob in our hearts and Ziggy in our minds. If you haven’t seen him and his band of brothers and sisters live, check out his website at www.ziggymarley.com for more info and tour dates. Two thumbs way up.