Stephen Marley & Matisyahu @ Ravinia 2018
Highland Park’s Ravinia was in full swing on June 7 as Stephen Marley and Matisyahu brought fans a double dose of reggae on the latest stop of their new Strength To Strength Tour. There was an undeniable chill in the air at the Chicagoland venue, though fans mostly seemed unaffected as they soaked up the sounds of the complimenting sets.
“Do you love reggae music,” asked Marley after his set-opening rendition of “Positive Vibration,” a mellow tune from his father Bob Marley’s much-admired catalog of island music. The audience voiced their unanimous approval of the genre, paving way for a sax and bass-filled set featuring a handful of tracks — both old and new — from Marley and his musically-inclined family.
Bob Marley received some additional attention during Thursday night’s performance due to the 40th anniversary of his beloved album Kaya. Covers of Marley & The Wailers’ “Easy Skanking,” “Is This Love” and “She’s Gone” — the lattermost which saw Marley taking up conga drum duties — all helped shape the night’s opening set. Stephen Marley’s 2011 album Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life was well represented with tracks including “Break Us Apart” and the soothing “Pale Moonlight (How Many Times).” Other set highlights included renditions of his father’s “Could You Be Loved” and “Jungle Fever” and the powerful encore opener of “The Mission” — originally a collaboration with brother Damian Marley.
Temperatures fell further by the time Matisyahu took to the stage but audience numbers held strong, watching as a hazy combo of blue and white light bathed the stage. The band — made up of guitarist Aaron Dugan, synth and keyboardist Big Yuki, bassist Stu Brooks and drummer Joe Tomino — set a dark, atmospheric tone as Matthew Paul Miller aka Matisyahu rose up through the stage floor for a chill version of “Chop ’em Down,” from his first album Shake Off the Dust… Arise.
The headliner’s set was a healthy mix of songs spanning his discography, from the above-mentioned 2004 debut to last year’s underrated Undercurrent and most everything in between. There were hits, fan favorites and deep cuts… and a whole lot of jamming. “Youth” provided a platform for interesting improvisation, setting the stage for some spontaneous dancing from lead singer Matisyahu. Later, “Tell Me” saw Yuki complimenting Dugan’s spacey guitar work with some ultra-trippy arpeggios — a definite highlight of the night.
“Time Of Your Song” into “Star On The Rise” made for a nice one-two punch but it was the late-set pairing of “King Without A Crown,” featuring an extended jam complete with some of Matisyahu’s trademark beatboxing, into set closer “Forest of Faith,” which built up to a frenzied drum and bass-filled crescendo (courtesy of Tomino and Brooks, respectively), that took audience-members all the way to the edge. Fans were not left wanting as Matisyahu and company returned for an encore featuring what seemed to be an audience-wide sing-along to the ever-popular “One Day.”
Catch Matisyahu and Marley on their Strength To Strength Tour, coming to a city near you.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)