Pop Music : Bob Marley Event Harmonizes With Long Beach Fans

There was no doubt which door to enter at the Long Beach Arena on Saturday: The 10th annual Bob Marley Day concert easily beat out the 16th annual Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Industry Trade Show. With the arena scaled to 10,000 capacity in its first year as a two-day event, the program sold out Saturday and was 90% sold out for Sunday.

Headlined by Aswad and Maxi Priest, Saturday’s performance ran the reggae spectrum from the trio harmonizing of the Tamlins and the roots rhythms of Ras Michael to Priest’s R&B-inflected; reggae. (Different supporting casts were scheduled for each day.)

Chalk up the audience’s muted response to Aswad’s hourlong set mostly to attrition and fatigue from the seven-hour program. The veteran British outfit’s dense, sophisticated reggae was triggered by the three-part harmonies of its core members--rhythm guitarist Brinsley Forde, drummer Drummie Zeb and bassist Tony Gad.

Aswad can play reggae any way--sweet and silkily soulful, tough and rocking, intricately melodic with jazzy chord changes and clarion calls from a three-piece horn section. Every note, electronic effect and theatrical move in Aswad’s set was thought out and included for a purpose.

Aswad plays it exceptionally smart , but its greatest failing was its inability to do the obvious things--write catchy pop hooks or develop a signature element that would stick with an audience. Even the group’s crowd sing-along strived for multiple vocal parts.