Ziggy Marley Makes Melody in Shanghai
It was either China’s worst nightmare or the censorship officials just don’t care anymore. A “Legalize It” flag with a marijuana leaf was unfurled minutes before showtime and was waved by front-row fans from start until finish. Various types of smoke rose to the ceiling, visible to the crowd when it hit the spotlight beams. A Chinese girl sat perched atop her expat boyfriend’s shoulders. The men’s bathroom reeked of pot. And centerstage, there was a dread-swingin’, reggae-singin’ Rasta yelling for freedom, for justice and for love.
Ziggy Marley, minus the Melody Makers, gave a jammin’ performance Tuesday night at the Yun Feng Theater in Shanghai. The eldest son of roots reggae legend Bob Marley had the 1,300 or so onlookers on their feet for a two and a half hour mix of his own songs and his father’s classics. Ziggy began with “Shalom Salaam,” off his 2003 album Dragonfly, his first album without the Melody Makers. After the first four smacks of the snare drum, the entire crowd was on its feet, filled the aisles and danced (as best they could) to the Marley reggae sound.
The Yun Feng Theater feels more like a high school auditorium than a venue worthy of hosting a four-time Grammy winner. The seats are small, the foyer is drab and communist, and the sound is poor. But the Yun Feng, a post-Mao theater formerly used for military performances and acrobats, succeeded in providing a cozy setting for Shanghai’s music fans and serves as a welcome alternative to Shanghai’s impersonal arena shows.
Marley, who played Beijing the night before, toured in support of his latest album Love Is My Religion (2006), which won the 2007 Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Ziggy played the title track as his final song and on the final chorus, passed his microphone to audience members. The singer drew from his entire catalog playing “Conscious Party” and “Tomorrow People” from his breakthrough 1988 Melody Makers album Conscious Party as well as a number of songs from the 90s.
But the highlights of the show, as can be expected, were Ziggy’s renditions of his father’s legendary tunes. And while Ziggy’s music is well-crafted and hits on the same spiritual and political concepts that his father’s music did, it’s Bob’s music that people came to hear. Ziggy played “Get Up Stand Up,” “Is This Love,” “Jamming” and kicked off his encore with a rendition of “No Woman, No Cry.”
There’s a big shadow hanging over Ziggy Marley. His career in music has been half his own artistic accomplishments and half the world’s fascination with his father’s music. Ziggy seems okay with the fact that his father’s songs draw the loudest applause and that most of Tuesday’s crowd probably couldn’t name a single one of his original songs. Despite this, Ziggy gave Shanghai a spirited concert, showcasing his own talent and honoring his dad’s. He had the entire theater on its feet from start to finish, and showed a city desperately trying to establish a music scene, what roots reggae is all about.
•YouTube: ‘Love Is My Religion’ Music Video
•Shanghai Daily: Reggae’s Favorite Son In Concert 3/19/07
•Flumesday.com: Top 10 Most Disappointing Rock Offspring