Marley’s own survival has been a subject of concern lately. The theme of Bob Marley’s four-evening stint (Thursday through tomorrow) at Harlem’s newly reopened Apollo Theater is “black survival,” and Mr.
The New York Times said of the run of shows: Opening the shows was Betty Wright, known for “Clean up Woman” and “Tonight is the Night,” singing with a range from disco to soul.
The Apollo Theater has 2 balconies…I was in the first balcony …front row center…best seat in the house…I sooo wish at least one of the concerts were on film….Bob rocked the house…so much so, at one point I actually got frightened…at the end of the third and final show…Bob had everyone on their feet singing “Get up Stand up”…of course everyone got up…but it wasn’t until a few minutes into the song that I realized the whole balcony was shaking….literally moving…I kept still to see if it was movement that I was really feeling…sure enough…it was…that’s when I started to hope that the balcony would hold….the balcony was full…even the isles…the Apollo is an old theater….After the concert, I left feeling fulfilled and exhausted…Bob had taken all my energy….any time he played NYC I was there….have never been to a concert that could surpass any Bob Marley concert since…….BLESS.” As shared to “Concerning the Bob Marley concert at the Apollo….there were three shows, in three days….and I made sure I was present for all three…Each show was different…but each unique. Marley would perform at the Apollo with three backdrops: one of the Ethiopian flag, one of Ethiopian emporer Haile Selassie I, revered by Rastafarians, and one of Garvey, Selassie and guerilla fighters.Ī first hand experience from the show, shared with Marley Arkives, gives insight into the audience reaction to the peformances. Garvey would inspire Rastafarians advocating for Pan-Africanism. Garvey was a Jamaican-born writer and speaker in the early 20th century who encouraged the Pan-African movementa, emphasizing unity between African-Americans and their ancestral lands. Part of the reason Marley sought to perform in Harlem was due to the connection of Marcus Garvey to the neighborhood. Each show, although the set list might have been the same, were never alike. The opening show was also sold-out and had lots of major stars attending. “The show on the Saturday night was the best, it was sold out and had the best vibes. In covering the shows for college newspaper, Scope, he noted The album Survival still stands as one of Marley’s most politically charged albums, featuring anthems “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe,” the latter celebrating the fall of the white supremacist regime in Rhodesia.Ī mixed audience of African Americans, West Indians and whites was reported by Clinton Lindsay, a Jamaican student at the New York Institute of Technology. Survival related to the struggles and oppression of people Bob once said to me, how great it would be if there could be a United States of Africa, so these concerts were very important to him.” Dennis Thompson Dennis Thompson, one of four audio engineers and sound technicians working with Marley on these shows told the Jamaica Observer.īob wanted to reach the African-American people and he liked the idea of an intimate setting, and the Apollo had it. Performing in Harlem was designed to broaden his reach to a demographic that had not yet tuned into his music, Black Americans.
A day later, Marley and The Wailers would perform at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The shows at the Apollo were the third stop on his Survival tour, which had kicked off on October 21 in Boston at Harvard Stadium with Stevie Wonder. The shows, beginning on October 25 and ending October 28, would add to the rich history of the Apollo and connect Marley with the one-time home of fellow Jamiacan, Marcus Garvey. Over four days in late October, 1979, Bob Marley and The Wailers performed seven shows at the legendary Apollo Theater, marking the first ever reggae performances at the recently reopened Harlem venue.
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