Everyone is used to using shorthand and slashes when doing an internet search for a general topic like concerts/music. But it’s surprising when the results turn up an article on old concert in Santa Barbara by Bob Marley.
Nearly everyone uses slashes and abbreviations when searching online for something so typing in concerts/music is not really such a rare thing. The wide range of search results means that even if you’re not sure what you’re after, it’s likely you’ll find something. A lucky and unexpected result for a recent search resulted in an article on an old concert in Santa Barbara by the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers.
The original recording of the concert was released on VHS as Bob Marley & The Wailers: The Legend Live. For those that have never seen the footage, the concert took place at the Santa Barbara County Bowl in November 1979. The Bowl is an outside concert hall tucked into the mountains and has an elegant Craftsman style to it. The acoustics are amazing and listening to music at The Bowl under the open California sky is one of the hidden advantages of living in Santa Barbara.
The concert was filmed when Marley was at the peak of his performance style. Each song was met with a wild response from the audience and Bob Marley made sure to put his strong political views into words in between songs. As night fell, Marley started into the epic “Exodus” and the whole audience fell under the spell of the his dynamic voice and the compelling music.
The evening ended with the well known “Get Up Stand Up” and by then entire mass of people was standing up singing the repeated lines at the end of the song over and over. The concert had a lasting impact on both the audience and the world when the footage was released in the early 1980’s.
Remembering when I first saw the film of the concert and reliving the power and intensity of Bob Marley was an incredible reward for simply typing in concerts/music. The original VHS tapes went out of print but apparently there is a re-mastered DVD out now that includes additional songs and bonus footage.
Searching the internet for specific information usually produces good results and gets you the details you need. But if you’re hoping to get serendipity on your side and don’t have a particular thing you’re looking for, try adding slashes to your search. You never know what concerts/music or art/music will bring!