Ziggy Marley Sends Reggae Message on 'Dragonfly' Tour

By Danny Wild, Sports Editor

The feeling and sound filling The Chance in Poughkeepsie Wed. effortlessly took the hundreds of captivated fans back to a warm summer day in 1979. Close your eyes, sway with the sea, and it was a Bob Marley, alive and wailin'.

Well, almost. It's impossible not to mention his father's name when someone talks about Ziggy Marley. The son of the legendary reggae icon, Bob Marley, took his solo-album tour, Dragonfly, to The Chance Theatre last week along with his familiar "melancholy mood." Marley played for over two hours and still had the incredibly packed house at the ancient theatre begging for more.

The comparisons of Ziggy to his father may never end, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Marley has taken his rich reggae roots and transformed the music with a blend of rock, hip-hop, R&B and the classic, crowd-pleasing sounds of his father's reggae to create an aura on stage like no other. His dreadlocks fall below his waist, his beard a reminder of his father's Rasta roots; Ziggy Marley has blossomed into his own after years of award-winning music, always evolving and changing but always urging fans to "stay true to yourself."

While Bob Marley's music was famously known for its political messages and a strong feeling about love, Ziggy has continued some of those beliefs through his own music. Songs such as "Rainbow in the Sky" deliver a self-determination and hope message to the world as he reminds people, "there's a rainbow in the sky, all the time, don't be blind." "Melancholy Mood" speaks of his personal struggles and heartbreak through a slower reggae beat.

In 2003, Ziggy took a break from his award-winning group, the Melody Makers, and released his first solo recordings on Dragonfly. The Melody Makers, a three-time Grammy-winning group that began in 1986, showcased Ziggy along with three of his siblings. Dragonfly has now let Marley explore himself as he has moved away from Jamaica in the past year to record the album.

"As an artist I need to experience different things," Marley said on ziggymarley.com. "To see the world and have different energies. It helps me grow as a person to be outside my element."

Marley was very much in his element last Wednesday, as each song seemed to be better than the last. Marley, positioned in front of a huge yellow, red and green dragonfly banner, seemed almost at a loss for words between songs, but what he lacked in the usual singer-to-band chatter, he more than made up for in his music.

"How are we all doin' tonight?" he asked the incredibly diverse sea of people through his strong Jamaican accent. "Well, des are the good ole days!" he finished, suddenly breaking into "Good old Days," the ninth track on his album, amidst the screaming crowd.

The concert featured many of his newer songs off Dragonfly, yet he also mixed a perfect blend of incredibly-performed Bob Marley favorites, such as "Is this love?" "Afrika Unite" and a final encore rendition of "Jammin."

Marley's songs off Dragonfly included, "I Get Out," "True to Myself" and "Shalom/Saalam," a politically-based tune reflecting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. The title means "peace" in Hebrew and Arabic. Marley also played "True to myself," a message about self-respect; "In The Name of God," a song attacking the hypocrisy of religious warfare, as well as "Looking," an upbeat melody about happiness and spirituality.