Updated on 12:28 p.m. on Oct. 7 to include video from event.
“Peace, love and unity” is the mission statement behind The Wailers, the former band of reggae star Bob Marley, now focused on spreading hope to the younger generations.
The Wailers performed in downtown Burlington Oct. 3 after a last-minute venue change moved their show from Greensboro.
For band leader Aston Barrett Jr., carrying on The Wailers’ message is about more than just encouraging the people of the world, but also about carrying on the legacy of his family.
Barrett’s father used to play in The Wailers alongside Barrett’s uncle and Marley during the early years of the band. Barrett performed in the band alongside his father until he retired in 2016. Barrett said when his father retired he encouraged him to take the band’s messaging in a new direction.
“He's like, if there's anything going on in the world that you need as a revolutionary song that could unite the people and keep their minds straight, if you see them going like this, we already wrote those songs so you could sing those songs,” Barrett said in an interview with Elon News Network. “But for you as a new generation, sing about something new, which is, save the Earth, or love songs, don't litter, save the ocean.”
Band leader for The Wailers, Ashton Barrett Jr. (left) sits down for a one on one interview with News Editor,Charlotte Pfabe.
Barrett said The Wailers love to spread their message everywhere, no matter how small the town.
“We like to go into towns that people don't really go to, or you don't really hear reggae, because we want to spread the love everywhere,” Barrett said. “So we're not just the big place. We want to spread it here. We like to see the people.”
With the band’s hope to spread their message everywhere, Barrett said he was happy the band’s tour manager was able to bring them to Burlington.
“What we love is that he wants to bring the community together everywhere, the shape and form, where it comes to like the college, the children, the kids, because the generation of today is important, because that's what has to be,” Barrett said. “So we have to encourage everyone so they can have that better mindset, and, like, ‘No, we need a better world.’”
The Wailers take a bow as the concert comes to a close on Oct. 3 at the Burlington Food Hall .
Before The Wailer’s took the stage, Raleigh-based reggae group Crucial Fiya opened the show. Lead singer of the band Ralph Dujour said the band loved opening for The Wailers and bringing reggae to Burlington.
“It's so nice to have reggae in the area that's not known for having reggae here,” Dujour said. “So hopefully this will be the catalyst for more music of a Caribbean scent to come here.”
Owner of local coffee shop, The Blend, Lucero Marti, said she was happy the Burlington Food Hall asked them to have a booth at the event. Marti said she hopes this event will help Burlington grow.
“Not only does it help our economic system grow, but we want to continue growing downtown,” Marti said. “We want to make sure that we have a wonderful ecosystem, that we bring new entrepreneurs, new business people, and we just want to make Burlington great again.”
Marti said she thought this event was also a great opportunity for Elon University students to get off of campus.
“This also helps for the Elon students, so that they can have fun when they come to Burlington,” Marti said.
Elon sophomore Alice Oden said she has been a big fan of reggae music and was surprised and excited to see The Wailers in Burlington.
“It's crazy,” Oden said. “I was like, ‘Is this real?’ I thought it was a scam. Honestly, I was not expecting it to be so close.”
Kwame Duodu, a local resident originally from Ghana, said he was thrilled to see a form of music he loves come to Burlington.
“This is unbelievable,” Duodu said. “I've lived in Burlington, North Carolina, since 2009 and never seen anything like this. It reminds me of when I lived in the New York area or in Chicago. This is awesome, having the legendary Wailers here tonight—gosh, this is surreal. So I'm happy to be here.”
During the concert, The Wailers emphasized their message of peace, love and unity by having audience members repeat hand motions with them while chanting the message. For Barrett, the message means more than its literal meaning; it also means having hope.
“The message is peace, love and unity, but what it really means to me, it means hope,” Barrett said. “The message means hope and faith. You have to have hope and faith to know that in life, there's ups and downs. As we say, ‘Life is one big road with lots of signs. But when you're riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind.’”
Charlotte Pfabe contributed to the reporting of this story