https://youtu.be/2t8l92DharY
Even as Burna Boy made history at Madison Square Garden with two shows back to back in May, we reflect on the King of reggae’s debut at the Garden in 1978.
Bob Marley first played Madison Square Garden in 1978 while on tour in support of the Kaya album. This Madison Square Garden show is an important one for Bob. The 15 song setlist included some of his more rebellious songs as well as No Woman No Cry, Is This Love and Jammin. The Kaya Tour was organized to support the album Kaya by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
A review of the show by Billboard Magazine’s Robert Ford Jr. stated that “Visually Marley is the whole show as he captivates his audience.”
The tour was initially set to begin in early May in Miami, Florida, but the first six shows had to be postponed. The tour began in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on 18 May 1978, and ended in Miami, Florida, on 5 August 1978. There were two U.S. legs and one European leg between. Before the tour Marley performed at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica on 22 April 1978.
On July 22nd, Peter Tosh, who was on tour with the Rolling Stones and performing in Anaheim, stopped by the Starlight Bowl in Burbank (where Bob was playing) and performed “Get Up, Stand Up” with Marley while Mick Jagger watched the entire show from off stage.
On 23 July, the birthday of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, Marley performed in Santa Barbara and did a very rare live performance of his song Sun Is Shining.
While on the Kaya 78 tour Marley in additional to Madison Square, he performed for the first time in Spain and Norway.
Kaya Album
Kaya is the tenth studio album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The album was recorded at the same time as tracks recorded for the more militant Exodus album in 1977.
With the album more relaxed and laid back sound, they received criticism for ‘going soft’ as a result of the general the themes: songs primarily revolving around love, romance as well as marijuana.
The album’s release coincided with the One Love Peace Concert, heralding Marley’s triumphant return to Jamaica from exodus in London. Three of the songs are new versions of tracks from the 1971 album Soul Revolution Part II. Well-known songs from the album include “Is This Love” and “Satisfy My Soul“. Kaya reached the top five in the UK album charts.
All songs written by Bob Marley. Mastered by Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound.
Chris Blackwell said in his memoir The Islander: My Life In Music And Beyond that Exodus and Kaya “batches of songs consisted of the world wind of emotions after being forced out of his homeland.”
Blackwell says, “Exodus is a direct militant response to the assassination attempt and Kaya, an album of love and dance on which he consciously cooled off some of the tension.”
Kaya is certifed gold in the US and peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
