See Crossfade's pre-concert interview with Ziggy about the Marley clan, taxes, and country music.
Ziggy Marley
Fillmore Miami Beach
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Never under any circumstances leave a car door unlocked on South Beach while grabbing a slice of pizza with your girlfriend after an awesome concert at the Fillmore Miami Beach.
Lurkers will steal the camera you were stupid enough to leave in a backpack on the front seat.
But like Ziggy Marley says, "Welcome to the world, I can't promise it's a cool place."
The reggae rider took Miami on a two-hour journey through a world of positive irations, set in motion by a solid, conscious set by Miami locals 4th Dimension.
Zig and his band of far-beyond-driven talent dropped "Let Jah Will" knowledge, jamming the first song as a warmup.
There was awesome percussion solo by Rock Deadrick (Ben Harper, Chicago) that set the people screaming.
Meanwhile, Darryl Jones (Miles Davis, Sting), filled the room with waves of rolling bass. Guitarist Takeshi Akimoto (Taj Mahal) brought perfect technicality and a clean, warm sound.
Keyboardist James Poyser (Eryka Badu, Mariah Carey) accented the mix with his runs and fills. And drummer Santa Davis (Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear) banged out the riddim that kept it all moving.
Ziggy sang like it was the original language, the truest form of communication between a performer and an audience. And we believed him.
The band recorded Ziggy's newest album Wild and Free all together in a room at once, and it showed in the seeming ease with which they repeated the performance for us.
The seasoned pros were lively in their delivery, hit every note perfectly, never dropped a beat.
It was the musical version of watching D Wade, King James, Big Bosh, and Haslem when they are on fire -- pure athletic flow and synchronicity.
After his Top 40 hit "Tomorrow People," Ziggy closed out the set with "Love Is My Religion," floating backstage on a cloud of ganja, applause, and cries for more, more, more.
A few minutes later, the band came back out and played four more songs before disappearing into the night. And when the lights came up, the people were smiling.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: The dude sounds exactly like the son of Bob Marley, which is fucking awesome.
Overheard in the Crowd (Because I Yelled That Shit Myself) : "More fiyah! More fiyah! More fiyah! Fire, fire, fire, fire! Oh shit, I'm gonna get arrested for screaming fire in a crowded theater."
Ziggy Marley's Setlist:
-"Let Jah Will"
-"Conscious Party"
-"Wild & Free"
-"Be Free"
-"Revolution"
-"Reggae in My Head"
-"Justice"
-"Changes"
-"Forward To Love"
-"True to Yourself"
-"Black Cat"
-"Tomorrow People"
-"Love Is My Religion"
-"Welcome to the World"
-"Beach in Hawaii"
-"Is This Love"
-"Look Who's Dancing"
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