As we say goodbye to the old and hello to the new year, never fear, the Wailers are here!
That’s right. As you sit awaiting the inevitable transition from one bad year in Babylon to the next, the infantry- fatigued in Rasta camo and weilding weapons for war – are traveling Babylon by Bus, fighting the war with music. Led by their new ‘Field General’ Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett, soon come to a town near you.
But this is not your run-of-the-mill Wailers tour where 1. Bus pulls in 2. Play 20 smash reggae classics 3. Bus pulls out. No, no. The Wailers come heavy ‘dis ya time.’ They will be performing the mighty Survival album in it’s entirety from “So Much Trouble In The World” to “Wake Up and Live.”
Originally slated to be titled Black Survival, Survival is an album with an outwardly militant theme which explores the themes of black nationalism, Pan-African solidarity, and injustice at all levels. Marley took a great risk in releasing such a politically and racially charged album, especially after releasing such a mellow album in Kaya the year prior.
The record album front cover by Neville Garrick depicts 48 flags of 47 African countries and one flag of a Pacific island nation (row 7, column 3; included because of Marley’s warm relations with tribes people ala the Maori and Hopi). Presumably the flags were in use when the album was designed, in preparation for publishing in 1979, though many became obsolete.
Opening many of the shows will be noted reggae and Wailers historian and archivist Roger Steffens, whose world-famous multimedia program will be tailored specifically for the Survival album and tour – a tour which Steffens witnessed firsthand, as he was the one and only journalist who traveled the tour with Marley, spending countless hours and logging many miles on the Bob Marley and the Wailers’ tour bus.
With never-before released photos, audio, and video footage, Steffens tells of his life-changing journey with the King of Reggae and his band of bredren throughout North America. This once in a lifetime event is not to be missed.
I’ve already got my ticket. What about you?
For more information, including tour dates, visit www.wailers.com
