life
Bob Marley performed around the world. From Africa to New Zealand to Japan, Marley travelled extensively to spread his musical message. He performed on the smallest of stages to the largest stadiums, attracting 100,000 in Italy in 1980.
This section explores eight significant shows and tours, with rare photographs from Adrian Boot and first-person accounts.
The four-night, sold-out stand at London's hip Speakeasy club offers a humble
but powerful Bob Marley on stage. This string of concerts offers a glimpse
at his first British tour for Island in the Spring of 1973. It followed the
release of Catch A Fire, the Wailers' Island debut.
Bob Marley and the Wailers' live radio broadcast at KSAN in Sausalito, CA
vividly captured the moment when reggae was poised to enter the mainstream
of popular music. The mix of songs from Catch A Fire and Burnin' represent
the only live recordings from the Wailers' first American tour.
The July 1975 London Lyceum shows, recorded for the album Live! Bob Marley
and the Wailers, reflect Marley's fiery delivery and powerful presence. These
extraordinary concerts are described with songs lists from the Live album
as well as eyewitness accounts from Dennis Morris and Mick Cater of the performances.
No more than 48 hours after a brutal shooting attempt on his life, Bob Marley
took the stage at National Heroes Park on December 5, 1976 for the Smile Jamaica
Concert. This section describes the foreboding signs and events leading up
to the assassination attempt, Marley's decision to perform, and the harrowing
drive from Strawberry Hill to the venue.
The Exodus tour of 1977 reveals the fervor of Marley's live performance and
his open defiance of those who would silence him. I-Three Judy Mowatt describes
the concerts as "powerful and spiritual...There was a power that pulled
you there."
The April 1978 concert in Kingston marked Marley's triumphant return from
exile and the stunning on-stage handshake between Prime Minister Michael Manley
and opposition leader Edward Seaga. Their political rivalry had spawned ruthless
teams of ghetto gunmen and an outbreak of murder on the island.
Bob Marley promised the organizers of Reggae Sunsplash that he would headline
the show at Montego Bay. His first show in Jamaica since the One Love Peace
Concert, Marley energized the crowd with songs from the forthcoming Survival
LP.
Bob Marley and the Wailers' first performance in Zimbabwe was marred by tear
gas and chaos, yet Marley returned to the stage to perform "Zimbabwe"
and prevailed the next day, as over 100,000 people gathered for the second
show on April 19, 1980.