NZ All-Stars to Celebrate Bob Marley in Concert

Some of New Zealand's biggest musical stars will come together in Tauranga to pay homage to Bob Marley with an outdoor concert at the end of this year.

The Marley - NZ All-Stars Celebrate the Legend concert will be held at Wharepai Domain in December to recognise and celebrate Marley's legacy.

The Jamaican reggae musician achieved international fame and acclaim with music that preached love, acceptance and pride.

Boh Runga and Tiki Taane will join musicians such as Ria Hall, Logan Bell (Katchafire), Laughton Kora (Kinetic, Kora), Jason Kerrison (OpShop, Babysitters Circus and Fungi), Anna Coddington, Fran Kora (Kora) and P Diggs (Shapeshifter) to perform Marley's biggest hits. The Modern Maori Quartet are expected to open the concert.

Concert promoter Jackie Sanders said the concert would be "unique and special. His music continues to influence and have an impact on our lives. He was a lover and a fighter. His themes of love, family and togetherness still resonate as strongly as his cry for social justice and revolution."

Songs would include Get Up Stand Up, 3 Little Birds, Stir It Up, Redemption Song, Turn Your Lights Down Low, Buffalo Soldier, Punky Reggae Party, Exodus, No Woman No Cry, and One Love.

The musicians will be backed by the NZ All-Stars band, featuring Grenville Bell, guitar, and Leon Davy, percussion (both from Katchafire); Fran Kora, bass and vocals (Kora); Lucien Johnson, sax, and Barrett Hocking, trumpet (both from The Black Seeds); Paul Russell, drums (Stomp and Supergroove); Joel Shadbolt, guitar (L.A.B); Shelton Woolright, guest drums (I Am Giant, Kinetic and Blindspott) and Godfrey de Grut, keys (for Che Fu, Elemeno P and Brooke Fraser), with I-Threes on backing vocals, Boh Runga, Ria Hall and Anna Coddington.

Marley died from melanoma in 1981 aged 36. If he was still alive today he would be 71 years old.

Marley's daughter Cedella Marley said her father had a true revolutionary spirit that continued to inspire and empower people of all ages and ethnicities.

"The message of the music doesn't have an expiration date. Every generation is hearing it with fresh ears and connecting with the music in a new way."

What: Marley - NZ All-Stars Celebrate the Legend

Where and when: Wharepai Domain, Cameron Rd opposite Hamilton St, December 9.

Who: Ria Hall, Tiki Taane, Modern Maori Quartet, stars from Kora plus Boh Runga and many more.

How: Tickets go on sale from 9am tomorrow (July 12, 2016) from eventfinda.co.nz or by calling 0800 BUY TIX (289 849)

- NZ Herald