Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980 (Universal Music, 2011)
Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley Continues to be one of the most cherished figures in the international music scene. His signature songs are frequently covered by artists in various genres, from Rihanna and the Dave Matthews Band to Stevie Wonder and Chris Cornell. Bob Marley’s new double album Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre was recorded thirty years ago and it was Bob Marley’s last recorded concert.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980 presents a collection of the legendary artist’s most popular songs, including Jamming, Exodus, Positive Vibration, Redemption Song, Them Belly Full, Could You Be Loved, Is This Love, Crazy Baldhead, his rally cry for equality Get Up Stand Up, War/No More, No Woman No Cry and much more.
“Bob’s music has always conveyed a message of hope, unity and love,” says Rita Marley. “It has brought countless people together as it did that night 30 years ago in Pittsburgh. To hear that music today and to be able to share it with a new generation shows that Bob is as relevant today as he was 30 years ago.”
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980 show’s Bob Marley and the Wailers at their best and is an excellent addition to Bob Marley’s discography. The set comes in various formats including 2CD/3LP/digital.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
I was fortunate to have been at this show. With some friends from Kenyon College we drove 4 hours to Pittsburgh in a small cramped car filled with certain commodities to get us psyched up.
Bob put on a terrific show and this album captures it. What memories.
The i-Threes opened and I still recall them swaying in time to the music. I recall they did three songs before Bob came out to thunderous applause. He was dancing the entire 90 minutes except for the acoustic Redemption Song which he performed solo and in a laid back manner.
Nobody in the audience knew that Bob was sick. His energy level was extremely high and he had total command of the audience.
PS – If anyone from the label reads this, I have some great photos from the show. I was shooting with a Nikon Telephoto lens and we were down front for the encore.