The Wailers

The Wailers
The Brick Works
Sunday, January 30, '00

Anyone who says that the message of reggae rhythms and words isn't spreading wasn't at the show last Sunday at The Brick Works as legions of rasta-wannas bluntly put out their pipes and smokes to go on pilgrimage to see Bob Marley's original backing band, The Wailers. Having helped to co-write many of the now famous, classic reggae tunes like "Exodus" and "Stir It Up," The Wailers were able to authentically reproduce the sound that has changed the face of modern music forever and is still slowly sweeping over the world.

Definitive proof of the ever-growing popularity of reggae music were the gaggles of red, gold, black and green-dressed youths that were lined up three and four people thick around the corner past Panama's. The doors opened at 9:00 PM and there were still people in line at 11:00 PM, which was the only bad thing about the show; it took until approximately 11:15 PM before The Wailers began to play.

The patient crowd, uncharacteristic of such a mob of concert-goers, kept relatively quiet until the band felt that it was time to start entertaining. Once they did, though, all you could do was bore out your space to groove and let the good vibrations enter your body.

Marcia Griffiths, a legend in her own right and one of three original I-Threes—the back-up singers for The Wailers—opened the show with a few of her hits like "Wait And See" and "Fire Burning" to warm up the crowd. She then moved over to accompany the other two female backing vocalists in the current incarnation of the I-Threes, making room for well-known reggae crooner Gary Pine.

Girls ogled his hair as cries of ecstasy issued from the crowd. His voice was incredible too, as he and The Wailers tore through several common and several not-so-common reggae numbers from the Bob Marley and The Wailers catalogue. Rocking reggae tunes like "Bend Down Low," "Lively Up Yourself" and "Rastaman Vibration" electrified the bobbing dancers pogo-sticking in unison on the dance floor. Then there were the not-so-common tunes like "Running Away," "Rat Race" and an extended version of "War" with an excellent solo from guitarist Earl "Wya" Lindo.

Through five encores, among them "Keep on Moving," "Buffalo Soldier" and the finale, "Jammin'," everyone gyrated with the rhythm of Aston "Family Man" Barrett's soul-penetrating bass message, arguably supporting not only The Wailers, but all of reggae music.

--Bret Lueder

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