Marley’s 1980 global jaunt in support of his Uprising album found him and The Wailers at their fiery best, and in especially blistering form by the time they played their 38th and last show in Pittsburgh. He died less than eight months later, and this memento of the gig again leaves us wondering what more he might have gone on to achieve.
The concert almost never took place, however, when Marley collapsed while jogging in Central Park, New York, two days earlier. Ordered to rest by doctors, he ignored their advice and played this one final gig before flying to Germany for cancer treatment.
Though most of the setlist was nailed down for the majority of the concerts, the last leg of five US dates featured a few additions: relatively rare live airings of The Heathen and Burnin’ & Lootin’, sandwiched between intense readings of Positive Vibration and Them Belly Full. This album is the first in a series of archive recordings marking the 30th anniversary of Marley’s death, and should that series include more from this powerful tour, they’ll be well worth hearing.
