The Marley Brothers bring their Legacy to Concord, CA

It was a perfect evening for attendees at the Concord Pavilion on Tuesday, September 10th, gathered to celebrate the legacy of Bob Marley through his sons. The weather was cool and everyone was in a great mood as they made their way to their seats while the DJ played reggae music. 

This is the first tour with Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian coming together in over two decades.

The brothers often sing together, but are now all on one stage for their Legacy Tour, joyfully celebrating their father and his music. In a recent interview, Ziggy Marley said that they are fulfilling their responsibility, with Julian chiming in that the energy you will feel from their unity and bond as a family is that of their father. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley says of the music, “It speaks to real-life human experiences that transcends race and culture and age. It speaks of love. All cultures smile.”

The Marley brothers came onto the stage in Concord to a roaring crowd, beginning the night with all of them singing “Natural Mystic”, followed by “Get Up, Stand Up”, “Iron Lion Zion”, and “So Much Trouble”. Next, Ziggy sang “Coming In From The Cold”, followed by Julian Marley taking lead for “Rastaman Vibration”.  

The brother’s took turns singing a mix of their own songs and their father’s songs, and then there were songs where they all would sing together. 

In the mix were “Concrete Jungle”, “Wake Up and Live”, “Shalom Salaam”, “War”, “Crazy Baldhead”, “Me Name Jr.”, “Is This Love”, “Rock My Boat”, “Buffalo Soldier”, “Jammin’”, “Medication”, “Kaya”, “Exodus”, “Could You Be Loved”, and — my favorite song of all time — “Three LIttle Birds”.  

The unity and vibe from all the Marley Brothers did definitely channel their father’s energy; it was so beautiful to hear the whole audience singing along to all of the cherished music that is still so relevant today! What a gift it is that Bob’s sons are carrying on his messages along with his legacy. There was no better way to end the night then with “One Love” and Ziggy offering, “One message, from the beginning til now, and will ever be… the message is One Love.” Thank you to Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian for the wonderful night of reggae royalty!

Photography by Sara Taylor