Moe’s Alley hosted the legendary Wailers on Saturday January 14th. Together with Bob Marley, they have sold over 250 million records worldwide in the entirety of their journey as a band. The group that performed this weekend featured the anchor of the band, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, bass guitarist. Barrett was Bob Marley’s trusted friend and through him the classic Wailer sound survives. The Wailers feature a new singer from Jamacia, Koolant. He has been singing with the band since 2002. Koolant brings his own personal expression to Marley’s songs, revitalizing them for young and old alike. Yet there’s a great deal more to the Wailers than reliving the past. Apart from featuring on a forthcoming Wailers’ album studded with celebrity guest artists, Koolant sings lead vocals on the band’s two latest tracks. The band’s new work closely resembles and does justice to the long list of classics.
It was easy to see that the audience on Saturday enjoyed the show. They showed applause from start to finish, calling for an extensive jam-song encore. The Wailers did play one or two new songs, but the favorites were the ones the audience knew every word too- and showed no restraint in singing at the top of their lungs. Though the venue did get thick with smoke by the end of the show, the crowd was entirely respectful and full of nothing but positivity, which I’m sure would have made Bob proud.
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