Throwback Thursdays: Ten Classic Bob Marley Performances You Can Watch Online

Words by Jesse Serwer and Natalie Weiner—

Feb. 6 is practically a (multi-)national holiday at this point, what with all of the events celebrating Bob Marley’s Earthstrong around the U.S., Jamaica and the world. If somehow you are able to enjoy the day in proper national holiday style with a day off from work well, boy do we have your day planned out with these classic Marley performance videos. For those of you with more rigid schedules, scroll through our countdown, select the show that best suits your (mellow) mood, press play, and catch a vibes.

1. The Wailers – Capitol Records Studio Session Hollywood, CA, October 10, 1973

The Wailers’ first US tour, opening for Sly & the Family Stone following the release of Catch a Fire in 1973, ended abruptly when they were fired by Sly Stone. The story goes that the Wailers were outplaying their better-known American counterparts night after night with the audience chanting “Wail-lers, Wail-lers” well into Sly’s set, much to the fading star’s chagrin. In any case, after being stranded in Las Vegas, the band—which at the time still included Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer—found their way to California, where they performed this rehearsal session at Capitol Records in Hollywood on Oct. 24, 1973. Read more about the Capitol performance and the hear other shows and appearances on the 1973 tour at the extensive Midnight Raver blog.

2. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Manhattan Center, New York, NY, June 21, 1975

The new-look Wailers, minus Peter and Bunny but with the I-Threes, played the Manhattan Center (known today as Hammerstein Ballroom) early on their Natty Dread tour in 1975. Among other highlights, this performance ends with a rather unique version of “Get Up, Stand Up” with freestyled, scatting vocals from Marley. As BobMarleyConcerts.com put it, “performance[s] like this and the rest of this tour massively helped shape the aura and highly rising popularity of Bob Marley.”

3. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Smile Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, December 5, 1976

Bob Marley’s performance at Smile Jamaica, held on Dec. 5, 1976, at the National Heroes Park in Kingston, was the site of arguably his greatest triumph, not just as an artist, but as a man, inspirational figure, leader and hero. Just two days after he was shot and nearly killed by gunmen in his house on Hope Road amidst growing political turbulence in Jamaica, a hobbled Marley showed up before the crowd of 80,000 on the premise that he would perform just a single song, but proceeded to perform for 90 minutes. The video here is a little rough around the edges, but the power of the performance still shines through. Press play to watch the first in a series of 13 clips from the show.

4. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Rainbow Theatre, London, England, June 4, 1977

Bob Marley spent 16 months in the U.K. after leaving JA the day after Smile Jamaica, and it was there, in that period, where he grew from a star into an icon. This show, also released as a live CD, was the last of four at the Rainbow Theatre in London, and also the last date of Marley and the Wailers’ abruptly-ended Exodus tour, which was cut short due to the toe injury that would later be a factor in his death.

5. Bob Marley & the Wailers – One Love Peace Concert, Kingston, Jamaica, April 22, 1978

Described by some as a “Third World Woodstock,” 1978’s One Love Peace Concert at the National Stadium in Kingston marked Bob Marley’s return to Jamaica following nearly two years in exile. Dreamed up in jail by crime bosses Claudie Massop and Aston “Bucky” Marshall, the show is best remembered for the moment when Marley brought Jamaica’s rival political leaders Michael Manley and Edward Seaga (whose respective PNP and JLP parties were locked in a bloody unofficial civil war playing out on Kingston’s streets) together on stage in a symbolic, one-time show of solidarity.

The concert video, released as Heartland Reggae, collects highlights from the performances by Marley and contemporaries such as Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown and Jacob Miller. Five Marley tunes are included, including the climactic performance of “Jammin” with Manley and Seaga.

6. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Amandla Festival, Harvard Stadium, Boston, July 21, 1979

Bob Marley and the Wailers headlined this benefit for social justice and liberation from apartheid in Africa, with a lineup that also included soul singer Patti LaBelle and pianist Eddie Palmieri. Hosted at Harvard’s football stadium, the concert was meant to embody many of the same egalitarian concepts as the One Love Peace concert. Marley spoke openly about his political beliefs, and the event was remarkably free of Babylon’s clutches—police officers weren’t allowed on the premises.

Amandla is often considered to be one of Marley’s best available concert recordings, possibly because he flew from Jamaica just for the show — it wasn’t a part of a tour. Or maybe it’s just because, as one review from the Harvard Crimson put it, “If anybody can cut through the special American brand of cynicism and make people feel good because they are one in thousands instead of omnipotent, it will be Bob Marley.”

7. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL, November 13, 1979

This concert was one stop on Marley’s 1979 “Survival” tour through the U.S. — just a few weeks before, Marley had been featured as the first reggae artist ever to perform at the Apollo Theater, where he had a week-long run. The recording comes from an audience member, who somehow had convinced security to let him record. He captured the only live version of “Survival” ever recorded, on an up-close and personal video of what it would have been like to actually be an audience member at one of Marley’s concerts.

8. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Santa Barbara County Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA, November 25, 1979

In another set from the “Survival” tour, Marley and the Wailers brought their positive vibrations to the Santa Barbara County Bowl for the third time. Featuring a rare late performance of “Stir It Up,” this show was one of the few that was professionally recorded, making it a great way to see all the nuances of Marley’s playing.

9. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, June 13, 1980

This performance is from one stop on Marley’s “Uprising” tour through Europe, which would also be his last. The tour was a massive success, bringing The Wailers to many countries where they hadn’t been before, and drawing unprecedented crowds around the continent (their show in Milan is still regarded as one of Italy’s biggest concerts ever). The Westfalan concert was eventually rebroadcast around Europe, as it was filmed for television.

10. Bob Marley On The BBC – 1973, 1977, 1978

While Bob Marley’s fame in the U.S. grew mostly through word of mouth and college radio during his lifetime, he was given mainstream exposure in the U.K., appearing three times with the Wailers on the BBC’s iconic weekly music show, Top of the Pops. Their first appearance, performing “Exodus,” was on June 9, 1977 during their European Exodus tour, and they returned a year later to play “Satisfy My Soul” from Kaya. Also in 1978, TOTP aired a performance of “Jammin’” from the Rainbow ’77 concert tape.

+1. One Love: The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute – Oracabessa Bay, Jamaica, December 4, 1999

This tribute concert, which was broadcast on US cable station TNT, features duets pairing reggae legends like Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, and (naturally) many members of the Marley family with top American musicians from all genres, including Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Darius Rucker, Busta Rhymes, and Tracy Chapman. Together, they cover most of Marley’s most popular songs, backed by the Wailers.