Eighteen months after it was forced to close due to the pandemic, Brooklyn Bowl reopened its doors to a ticketed crowd on Wednesday for a concert from The Wailers with support from local reggae favorites SunDub. The evening marked an emotional reunion for many local fans at what has become a home-away-from-home for Brooklyn music fans over the years.
Before the reggae forefathers got down to business, jam impresario and BBowl owner Pete Shapiro took a moment to address the crowd.
“This has not been an easy time, but we’re back,” Shapiro triumphantly told the audience. “And when we decided we wanted to come back, when we thought of the spirit and the energy we wanted the first choice was this band tonight, to bring The Wailers here. And it was tough to make it through this but we do want to say a thank you. Without the support of our government, we probably would not have made it through this.”
Shapiro proceeded to thank New York representatives Yvette Clarke and Carolyn Maloney, who were both in attendance. Throughout the pandemic, Shapiro joined Clarke and Maloney in efforts to aid New York’s entertainment industries that were ground to a halt due to the pandemic.
With that, all the hardships and turmoil of the past year melted away the moment The Wailers fired up “Soul Shakedown Party”. The evening saw Bob Marley‘s former band float through a number of the late reggae icon’s celebrated hits, including “Waiting In Vain”, “Is This Love”, “Satisfy My Soul”, and more. Adding to the emotional quotient of the evening was the memory of Bunny Wailer, the final surviving original member of the band, who passed away earlier this year.
Watch Pete Shapiro reopen the Brooklyn Bowl with The Wailers, and the band’s first few songs, via the player below. Scroll down to check out a gallery of images from the show courtesy of photographer Tom Shackleford. For tickets and a full list of upcoming Brooklyn Bowl shows click here.
The Wailers – Brooklyn Bowl – New York, NY – 9/8/21 – Preview
[Video: Relix]
