The sun shone bright over the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark on July 10 as Junior Marvin and the Legendary Wailers took to the stage at Horizon Sounds of the City, a free outdoor concert series hosted by NJPAC in partnership with health insurance provider Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. The series, held every summer, co-locates music, local food vendors, and no-cost healthcare services in NJPAC’s courtyard, providing space for the community to drink, dance, and be merry. Local performers Briannagh Dennehy and Shorn Biscette opened the evening alongside poet Brittany Barker to warm the crowd up for a 90-minute set jam packed with hits and crowd favorites.
Junior Marvin, who has collaborated with Steve Winwood, Toots & the Maytals, and T-Bone Walker, is best known for his work with Bob Marley & the Wailers from 1977 until Marley’s passing in 1981, appearing on classic albums that include Exodus, Kaya, and Uprising. He continued to record with the Wailers band after Marley’s death and has performed with various incarnations of the group in recent decades. Currently, he is the only member of the Legendary Wailers who performed alongside Marley.
Johnny Knollwood photos
Fans of all ages, including NJPAC president and CEO John Schreiber, were scattered across the courtyard on benches, in lawn chairs, and on their feet — dancing and singing along to fan favorites like “Buffalo Soldier,” “Stir it Up,” and “Could You Be Loved.“ Local food trucks sold burgers, ice cream, and steaks, and games like mini golf and a football toss were placed throughout the square. At the far end of the courtyard, set up next to the bar, were tents for Horizon NJ Health and RWJ Barnabas Hospital, giving out sunscreen and offering no-cost healthcare services like blood pressure and glucose screenings. They were located next to Patrón Tequila, who were onsite handing out promotional merchandise and offering a photo booth to passers by, an illustration of how art and community engagement can be used to promote a sense of health as well as fun.
The Wailers wasted no time, saying very little with their words and whole lot with their music. The songs, nearly half a century old, still feel relevant today in their messaging for freedom, justice, love and happiness. Amidst the increasingly divisive political climate of today, the Wailers’ do not ignore all that is ugly, “I Shot the Sheriff,” could have been written yesterday – but they remind us over and over again in classics like “No Woman, No Cry,” and “Three Little Birds,” that there is indeed hope. It seemed as if there was no shortage of hope, togetherness, and community in the courtyard of New Jersey Performing Arts Center, as hundreds sang together. “Don’t worry about a thing,” they cried. “Cos’ every little thing, is gonna be alright.”
Horizon Sounds of the City runs through August 7. To stay up to date and for more info, visit njpac.org/series/horizon-sounds-of-the-city.
Super awesome event!