Over the years, half brothers Damian “Junior Gong” and Stephen Marley have collaborated on several recording projects, and their first-ever tour together brought them to the re-opening of the Brooklyn Paramount. The former movie theater, constructed by Paramount Pictures in 1928, once pioneered jazz and rock and roll with performances by Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Buddy Holly. In 1962, Long Island University ended the concerts by converting the auditorium into a 1,200-seat gymnasium for its basketball team. In recent years, extensive renovations converted the space back into a performance center. St. Vincent served as disc jockey at an invitation-only preview party on March 26. The following evening, Damian and Stephen Marley’s Traffic Jam Tour re-opened the space to live music and introduced the first reggae concert ever at the venue.
Opening night can mean glitches, but management corrected the issues as quickly as possible. Patrons at the will call window had to wait for the promoter to print more tickets. Patrons needing disability seating found that section filled quickly and so management had to add more folding chairs. The live music, scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m., actually started at 10 p.m.
This month was the right time for the offspring of the late Bob Marley to tour, as Marley Fever was rekindled recently with the release of the biopic One Love. Brooklyn was the right place for the reggae concert, too, as the New York City area’s largest West Indian community resides just a couple of miles south of the venue on Flatbush Avenue.
As the audience entered the performance space, a disc jockey played classic reggae songs while a series of toasters periodically encouraged the audience to cheer. At 10:00 p.m., as Big Youth’s music blared from the speakers, musicians took their stations along the back of the stage. Flagman then came forth waving a rasta flag, which he would wave for the entirety of the Marleys’ approximately 90-minute performance.
Damian and Stephen came on stage singing Damian’s “10,000 Chariots” and collaborated on almost every song of the 20-song set. Much of the repertoire came from Damian and Stephen’s albums – mostly Damian’s. They also covered some of their father’s music, with “So Much Trouble In The World,” “Funky Reggae Party,” “Jamming,” “Is This Love,” and “Exodus.” Midway through the show, clips of Bob Marley performances were projected onto the back screen.
The performance was very professional. The band was tight and the arrangements were tighter. The Marleys seldom looked back at their players, counting on them to do exactly what they needed to do to punch the songs. The Marleys kept to the timing, speaking little and keeping the songs within their breaking point. By the time they got to the block of Bob Marley songs towards the end, however, Damian began loosing some of the smoothness of his vocals. Towards the end of the show, he brought out his adolescent son, Elijah Marley, to sing on part of “Welcome to Jamrock.” The show ended with a sweet and rousing encore of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.”
Stephen was seven years old and Damian was two years old when their father died in 1981, yet they and older brother Ziggy Marley have worthily sustained the Marley legacy. Bob Marley is the only reggae artist to consistently crossover to mainstream audiences; while the sons have not yet accomplished this feat, they continue to record new music and perform admirably. The Traffic Jam successfully showcased two middle-aged Marleys and, for a few moments, forecasted the next generation through Damian’s son, Elijah.
Setlist
- 10,000 Chariots
- The Traffic Jam
- So Much Trouble in the World (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
- All Night
- Pimpa’s Paradise
- Still Searchin’
- Tight Ship
- It Was Written
- Cast the First Stone
- Jah Army
- Medication
- The Mission
- Love and Inity / Punky Reggae Party (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
- Jamming (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
- Is This Love (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
- Rock Stone
- Road to Zion
- Welcome to Jamrock (with Elijah Marley)
- Exodus (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
Encore
- Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley & the Wailers cover)
