Pop Reviews : Marley Celebration at Santa Monica Civic

The lengthy Bob Marley Day concert featuring Michael Rose and Sugar Minott at the Santa Monica Civic on Sunday was no place for anyone who wanted elbow room. The audience jammed every inch of the open floor, packed the seats at the rear of the auditorium and continually fed the stream of foot traffic that spilled over into a side room and fenced-off outdoor area filled with crafts and food booths. It was an impressive display of the support the local reggae scene can muster for a large-scale event.

Attrition had alleviated some of the crowd crush for headliner Rose’s set, but the ex-Black Uhuru lead singer’s 45-minute performance was an exercise in treading water. Backed by a male and a female vocalist, Rose replicated his former group’s vocal sound. But with support from the local Backing Service band (which also did yeoman’s work behind three other artists on the bill) instead of a band of his own, the repertoire was limited largely to Black Uhuru’s greatest hits. Crowd-pleasing, sure, but disappointing because Rose’s first solo performance here two years ago with a “techno-roots” trio of keyboards, bass and drums had pointed toward a promising, contemporary approach.

Second-billed Minott did bring his own group but the Jamaican vocalist’s competent, hourlong set caught fire only sporadically, notably in an enthusiastically received 10-minute excursion in the “dance hall” style that made Minott a major reggae star. But Minott remains an unconvincing, albeit hard-working, performer.