POP MUSIC REVIEW : Ziggy Marley Livelies Up Himself in the Nick of Time

Ziggy Marley did not wait a minute too long to dip into his father’s songbook for “Lively Up Yourself.”

The first few songs of the nearly two-hour set Saturday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre by the Melody Makers slid by uneventfully, with proficient but colorless renditions of material from the band’s current “A Bright Day” album.

But the charged rendition of the celebratory “Lively Up Yourself,” the only Bob Marley tune the Melody Makers performed Saturday, galvanized the performance.

The Melody Makers band is made up of four singers: Ziggy, Steven and Cedella Marley, all children of Bob Marley, plus Sharon Prendergast. They are backed up by the instrumental band Dallol, which followed up the “Lively Up” high point by locking into the ominous, rolling groove of “Lee and Molly.” When lead guitarist Earl (Chinna) Smith ripped off an unusually raucous solo, the Melody Makers were on their way to a set that visited far more peaks than valleys.

The early section had foundered as much on Ziggy’s lack of animation as any inherent weakness in the material (although the songs on “One Bright Day” do generally lack the catchiness of the Melody Makers’ breakthrough “Conscious Party” album). Dressed in a loose, mismatched ensemble that sported Afro-Caribbean prints in black and white on the tunic and in red and gold on the pants, Ziggy came across as a distant performer who did not seem concerned with making audience contact.

That initial impression may have stemmed from the difference between his performing style and that of his late father. Where Bob Marley functioned as the shaman-like visionary and projected that spirit to the audience, Ziggy cut a more private, Sphinx-like figure who required the audience Saturday to come to him.

But he did progressively loosen up; the catalyst was the powerful support of his eight-piece band. Smith’s raw-edged tone repeatedly injected added electricity into the arrangements. Ziggy took particular delight in the frequent “dub” excursions featuring the potent rhythm section of drummer Raphael W’Mariam and bassist Zeleke Gessesse.

The Melody Makers are still a youthful unit, so the performance periodically suffered from rough stretches, such as the melodic fussiness afflicting some tunes and the overextended arrangements plaguing others. Prendergast and Cedella Marley (joined by a third vocalist) chipped in with sharp backing vocals and nonstop dancing, but the group needs to find something for Steven Marley to do other than wander around the stage, add very occasional snatches of percussion and sing a couple of songs.

But Ziggy remained the focal point. In the ongoing speculation over whether he is filling his father’s footsteps, what gets lost in the shuffle is that Ziggy is just 20 years old. The almost exclusively teen-age makeup of the crowd Saturday made it obvious that Ziggy is successfully talkin’ to his generation--the tomorrow people, not the reggae crowd that was fired and inspired by Bob Marley. Songs like “Tomorrow People,” “Tumbling Down,” “Pains of Life” and “Black My Story” are dealing with (or at least introducing in rudimentary fashion) some universal themes and major issues.

Far better Ziggy Marley as a model than Pato Banton, whose well-received opening set included a brief cameo appearance by Ranking Roger, the former vocalist with the English Beat and General Public. Banton is a slick, personable reggae cartoon who relied on a kinetic stage presence and interminable audience participation numbers that plumbed the lowest common denominator of reggae cliches.

At one point, he “challenged” the audience by shouting, “Do you people out there believe in freedom?” Way to ask the really tough questions, Pato.