This past Saturday, November 28, was one of those rare nights full of unpredictable moments and chance encounters. Eight months since Rewind It Magazine covered our last live event (before the world was stopped in its tracks by the pandemic), we were able to amazingly cover three shows in one single night, with reggae legends The Original Wailers sandwiched in the middle.

Along with my wife/photographer Brooke and a close friend (Kurt), I was already in downtown Sanford watching ’80s bombshell Tiffany play when someone mentioned The Original Wailers were also playing nearby for the one year anniversary show at Executive Cigar. I knew I could not pass up the chance to see the band behind such classics as “Could You Be Loved,” “Three Little Birds,” and of course, “No Woman, No Cry,” live (my beloved dog of 15 years, Kaya, was even named after a Bob Marley and the Wailers song). So the minute Tiffany finished her set, we were on our way to catch them play.

The second we arrived, we could instantly hear the chords to the classic Marley/Tosh penned-anthem, “Get Up, Stand Up,” and I knew we had made the right choice to make the short trek to see them. The crowd danced and sang along with joy as they continued with “Buffalo Soldier” before closing the night out with “Exodus.” Immediately after their set, we were even able to briefly meet and converse with frontman Chet Samuel, who seemed ecstatic to be there.

Although their name might be slightly confusing to some (guitarist Al Anderson is actually the only member from Bob Marley and the Wailers here, with his association with them going as far back as 1974), it is still no doubt a thrill hearing these songs, which are nearly as embedded in our minds and culture as the music of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, performed live in some capacity; catch them for yourselves if you’re ever given the chance.