I just had the extreme pleasure of attending a Ziggy Marley concert at the Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater….in 90+ degree temps with humidity of 70%
He opened with “Let Jah Will Be Done” but when he sang “Conscious Party” and the lyrics of: ” I got no booze to lick dem head. I got no drugs to lick dem head” I just took off.
This was the first time in a LONG time that I rocked out to the reggae beats in such a fashion. 105 minutes of nonstop dancing in the aisles.
My friend Mona Wong accompanied me and she swayed to the music as well.
I used to so groove to this music back in the 1980’s and early ’90’s when I was a pot smoking fool. As the harder drugs came into play the reggae fell away. But there always was a certain spirituality for me in reggae music. I traveled to Jamaica for a couple of years to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday.
To the Rasta, dancing to music is an expression of the soul and did I get back in touch with that tonight..as if I returned to a ideology that lay dormant…it’s as if something I turned my back on suddenly came roaring back to life.
No, I am not high now. There wasn’t even that much weed smoking going on… one guy sparked and shared it with two of his buddy’s is all I saw. But it was just a weaselly American joint, not the caliber of the true Jamaican sense.
The theme of a universal love has reawakened in me. It makes the most sense to me. World religions don’t preach a love for all..it is believe as we do or be damned to hell. False ideology is what they treach/preach.
He sang a mix of his songs along with a few of his fathers: Is this Love, Could you be Loved, Get Up (Stand Up).
Another launching point for me was when he played ” True to Myself” WOW!
I am sure in time, I will become sleepy..but for now I am wide awake on one of the purest highs I know…that feeling of connectedness that reggae always gives me.
“I got da reggae in my head, mon!”
It makes me shutter... 