‘Marleyfest’ hits Berkshire Music Glen

By Dale OttPrint Story | Email Story
The Marley brothers, above, will appear at the Bob Marley Roots Rock Reggae Festival, Bousquet Ski Area Sunday, Aug. 15. (Submitted Photo)
PITTSFIELD — This Sunday, Aug.15, Berkshire Music Glen will present its final show of the season, the nationally touring Bob Marley Roots Rock Reggae Festival at Bousquet Ski Area on Dan Fox Drive. The show, nicknamed Marleyfest, will feature five of Bob Marley’s sons — Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Damian and Ky-Mani Marley — performing together along with Toots and the Maytals, Nappy Roots, Slightly Stoopid, Looner and Stone Love. If nothing else, the promoters should get points for trying to present a variety of acts this year at Bousquet, which is a really nice outdoor space for popular music concerts. KC and the Sunshine Band and the Doobie Brothers performed there to appreciative (if not huge) audiences in July. The Aug. 1 Neville Brothers show was moved indoors to the Methodist Church on Fenn Street, which ended up being considerably drier than an outdoor show would have been. And while the Nevilles performed plenty of Meters-style “Nawlins” funk and their own classics as well as a few jazz standards, there are probably few better places to hear Aaron Neville’s interpretation of “Amazing Grace.” The near capacity crowd roared its approval at the end of each song, and by the end of the show they were literally dancing in the aisles. So what can concertgoers expect at Marleyfest? Describing the layout at Bousquet is probably a good place to start. The covered stage is large, plenty big enough for any of the Marleyfest acts. And it faces south, so the afternoon sun won’t glare in either the musicians’ or the audience’s eyes. Lawn-chair seating fans out from the front of the stage up the ski slope. For The Doobie Brothers show, food concessions were on both sides up the gentle hill along the edge of the audience. Most of the time before and during the opening act (solo blues and gospel singer Robin O’Herin of Dalton), there was a 5- to 10-minute wait for food at the concessions, but that dropped to near zero during the main show. For the Doobies show, it was typical fair food — hamburgers, sausage, hot dogs, kielbasa, chicken and veggie burgers, along with French fries and fried dough, all for $5 or less. Beer, wine and assorted soft drinks were available as well. Uniformed security were present but unobtrusive. All in all, a comfortable, well-organized venue that is relatively family friendly. For Marleyfest, there will be display booths for national as well as local sponsors, as well as tie-dyed clothing and henna tattooing, according to Lissa Willey, spokesperson for Berkshire Music Glen. There may be Jamaican or reggae-inspired food as well, she said. The name Bob Marley Roots Rock Reggae Festival implies a certain amount of variety in the show, and there will be, starting with popular Jamaican dance-hall sound system Stone Love, featuring selector G-Fuss. Evolved from roving DJs who took American popular music to Jamaicans too poor to afford radios, sound systems are considered by some to be part of the ancestry of rap and hip-hop. Looner is a melodic pop duo that combines various influences and techniques to make a very contemporary live sound. Slightly Stoopid, a young Southern California duo with a rhythm section backing it up, plays music with elements of punk and reggae that is popular among boarders and extreme sports fans. Nappy Roots, from Kentucky, calls itself ‘country’ but its sound is closer to hip-hop than Nashville. Toots and the Maytals need little introduction. Hailing from Jamaica, they have been recording for over 40 years. Moving through ska to rock steady and reggae, they have been an enduring force in Jamaican music and are well-known around the world for their hits “Pressure Drop” and “Get Up Stand Up.” as well as their appearance in the movie “The Harder They Come.” The Marleys are on their first tour together as a group. Ziggy Marley is probably best known as the leader of The Melody Makers, a Grammy Award-winning group composed primarily of his siblings, including Stephen, Julian and Damien. Stephen is additionally known for his production work on other artists’ albums, mostly Jamaican and reggae artists. Julian has done solo work as well as performing with his band “Uprising.” Damien, also known as “Junior Gong,” has a sound that fuses reggae with hip-hop and rap. Ky-Mani Marley, who recently joined the tour, performs in a dancehall/reggae style. “It's a show for all ages and crosses a lot of demograhics,” Willey said. “I don't mean to sound clichéd here, but the message is one of peace, tolerance, internal strength and love, which is what Bob Marley's music stands for.” Doors at Bousquet will open at 12:30 p.m., with music scheduled to start at 2. Tickets are available at many local outlets, including Bousquet, Guido’s, Lenox Old Country Store, O’Brien’s Market, White Knight Records, Toonerville Trolley, Wood Brothers and Steeples, or by visiting www.BerkshireMusicGlen.com or calling 800-594-8499.
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
View Full Story

More Stories

Sports
image description

Lee Executes Game Plan to Perfection in Quarter-Final Win

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Volleyball Reaches State's Final Four

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Boys Win 3rd Straight Regional Crown

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Girls Again Top Monson in Western Mass Final

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Sweeps Its Way to Western Mass Crown

Sports
Community News
image description

North Adams License Commission Sees Little Need for License...

Community News
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?