by Kevin Amos
The Stanley Theatre (now called The Benedum) was the last venue Bob Marley and The Wailers performed publicly on Sept. 23, 1980 before his passing. Exactly 30 years after that magical evening, the Marley family came together for a powerful live tribute concert benefiting their 1 Love Foundation and honoring the patriarch in a concert entitled “1 Love presents “Live Forever, a Bob Marley Celebration” concert.
 |
| MARLEY BROTHERS—Julian, Stephen and Damian Marley. (Photos by Gail Manker).
|
Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Cedella Marley and The Marley girls performed the set list from the 1980 show to a soldout crowd of all ages. Rita Marley traveled from her home in Ghana to be part of this special event along with former I-Three member, Marcia Griffiths. The enthusiastic audience consisted of young reggae fans who weren’t alive during the heyday of Bob Marley and the Wailers, but have since embraced the music of the group and the Marley children.
The musical set went through the popular tunes of the legendary band that included “Could You Be Loved,” “Exodus,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “Jammin,” “One Love/People Get Ready,” and “Redemption Song.”
One hundred percent of the proceeds went to support the 1 Love not-for-profit Foundation.
1 Love is a cause-based movement that collects money for its charity partners via percentages of partnered product sales, direct donations, sponsorships, and gives back to today’s three most important needs: Youth, Planet, and Peace. 1 Love is a community that encourages active participation from its members through their pledges to complete loving acts of kindness. These acts include expressions of love, generosity, or service, all of which will be rewarded on the 1 Love.org website.
The goal is to raise awareness, motivate participation, channel funds and resources to charities that support their three pillars. 1 Love offers a platform that encourages people to just get involved. 1 Love brings together Bob Marley fans, consumers, and passionate change- makers to rally around a single goal of working together toward a better world.
A worldwide “call-to-action” focused on the three pillars that will change the world we live in:
“Together, we must plant seeds that educate and empower the future of our planet.
“Together, we must do our part to protect the soil we till, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
“Together, we must shift our focus and invest more time into humanity than we do threatening it,” is the published statement by the group.
Some responses from concert-goers included that of Robyn Ruder from Swissvale who said, “What a fantastic show!” Sean Bell-Amos from Indiana stated, “This was such a wonderful evening. It will be something that folks will never forget—so many people coming together.” Carolyn Terner from Squirrel Hill said, “This is my first reggae concert ever. When I heard about this show, I just had to be there. It was quite an experience.” A film crew was on hand to capture the historic evening for a future documentary and concert goers were also given samples of Marley Mellow Moods natural drink from Marley Beverages.
(For more information go to: www.1Love.org.)
About Post Author
