When: January 11th, 2012
Where: San Diego House of Blues
Opening Act: Outernational
Main Event: The Wailers
A warm January night in downtown San Diego welcomed some heavyweight reggae legends. The upper balcony was closed and the main floor was open and antsy for some Rastafarian melodies. Outernational, a New York band with the slogan “No borders, no banks, no wars, no tanks, no nations” began the endeavor with some upbeat tunes, but wasn’t able to get the crowd moving until they performed a decent cover of Edie Grant’s “Electric Avenue.” Their music sounds like Clash meets Ska with some really good horn mixed in. Hear and buy music from Outernational (at the price you choose) by visiting outernational.bandcamp.com.
In the interim, the DJ primed the crowd with the dance hall classics…and then it was time for The Wailers. How did I know? The thickening crowd and the smell of the ganja emanating from within it.
The crowd mirrored the songs of togetherness as people of all backgrounds joined together to feel alright. The Wailers began casually with an instrumental riff, then the lead singer, Koolant, took things over with “Who the Cap Fit” with Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett seemingly on autopilot with his bass guitar. The Wailers mixed things up with recent tracks and classics to please all comers. The septet covered crowd favorites like “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” “One Love,” and a superb rendition of “Redemption Song.” After two hours of reggae bliss, the band ended the show with “Exodus.”
The crowd had a mass exodus into the San Diego night, and The Wailers made an exodus to Brixton Bay in Redondo Beach, where you can catch them January 13th, 14th and 21st.
More on The Wailers: 2012 Tour Schedule / The Wailers Concert Photos
– Reviewed by Vincent Johnson
