Aston "Family Man" Barrett has been a part of The Wailers since their formation in 1969, and, although he is the last member from the original band still in the group, the present line up wears their 40 year legacy well. The crowd at Wednesday night's Wailers show sang along with religious fervor to a show that was part nostalgic celebration, part hope-inspiring communal dance party, and all about love.
The opening band, Philly's Phunkestra Soul Orchestra, came on with four horns lined up at the front of the stage, a pair of percussionists behind them, a mad keyboardist with a stack three instruments tall, and a bassist behind him. Right away they launched into their jazz/jam band-style set, which seemed to shake through the crowd until everyone vibrated to the beat. The female vocalist who joined them later belted her parts with such power, that her voice overtook the room even when the microphone was a foot and a half away from her face.
It's hard to pick out any moment from their set that was better than the others, because they were consistently fun the entire time they were on stage. From the mini-solos dipped into by seemingly every band member, to the shouts from both band members, everything about Philly's Phunkestra's set was laced with energy and fun. If you enjoy a high energy dance party, you have to check this band out whenever you get the chance.
After the in-your-face charge of the opener's horn section, it was a little bit disappointing to see The Wailers come on and line themselves around the back of the stage. During their intro, both keyboardists, the bassist, and the drummer felt like they were pushed way to the back, with only the guitarist taking a position on the front side of the stage. However, as soon as the two lead and two backup singers jumped on stage, the show came alive and the placement of the musicians was no longer of any concern.
Singers Koolant and Danglin traded off lead vocal duties throughout the show, switching just about every song, and sometimes singing a few together. Both of them brought great energy and sound to the stage and had everyone singing along to just about every word that left their mouths. The crowd built up energy for the first few songs, and then exploded mid-set with "Is This Love," which was followed immediately by "Jammin," and "I Shot the Sheriff."
The band took a short break from the stage after having everyone raise a finger into the air during a powerful rendition of "One Love," and then Danglin and the guitarist returned to the stage for a quiet and chilling start to "Redemption Song." The rest of the group returned for "Step for Mankind;" a song from their new album that was spawned from their partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme. This song called on the audience to make a small donation to help battle hunger around the world. The crowd reacted far better to this call for charity than I would have expected concert goers to, but I also can't think of any other music that inspires altruism quite like The Wailers.
At the end of the show people waited around to thank members of the band as they left. I looked at the blissful smiles plastered on the faces of some of the people I'd met during the show - a teenager visiting Portland from Ohio, a card carrying "Bliss junkie," and a man who couldn't remember the last concert he'd been to - and felt an overwhelming wave of "One Love" come over me; a feeling that I don't think I'll ever lose.
