What About Bob?

Stephen Marley

If Jim Morrison has some kids walking around out there, I can't imagine that they'd get together for a concert and cover some of their father's tunes. Nor could I imagine a couple of Junior Jimmy Hendrixes, Janis Joplins, Elvis Presleys or Tupac Shakurs paying tribute to their parents.

Out of all the pop icons who've come and gone prematurely, Bob Marley was the only one who knew that the true path to immortality lay in spreading his seed around.

And two of those seeds brought Tuff Gong's legacy to Boulder Friday night. The show was billed as Stephen Marley, featuring Damian. Both boys were born into a life of music and both brought elements inherited by their father to the stage.

Stephen was up first, mostly playing tracks off his new album Mind Control, but also dipping into some of Dad's cuts like "Burning and Looting."

Stephen may have inherited his father's political consciousness, but it's Damian that inherited Bob's energy, hopping from one side of the stage to the other, always bouncing on two feet. The Boulder Theater was about to boil over in anticipation by the time the two Marley's finally let loose on Damian's smash single, "Welcome To Jamrock." And for an encore, they brought it back to Bob with "Exodus."

While far too many of us fans never got to see Bob Marley live, we should all consider ourselves lucky that so many women wanted to have his children.

Jah! Ras-ta-far-i! -- Luke Turf