How's this for stirred-up math? "One Love" and "Three Little Birds" will be performed by two different versions of Bob Marley's old band in the Twin Cities this week and next.
Minnesota fans of the late Jamaican music icon welcomed the news a couple of months ago that the Wailers would be one of the first concerts at First Avenue following its reopening after the COVID-19 lockdown. Then things got hazy a few days later, when news arrived that the Minnesota State Fair also booked the Wailers around the same time.
Turns out, not all Wailers are alike.
First Avenue hosts the lineup known simply as the Wailers on Thursday. Then the State Fair will welcome the group billed as the Legendary Wailers to the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on Sept. 1 and 2.
"Obviously, great booking minds must think alike!" quipped Nate Dungan, entertainment supervisor in charge of free stages at the fair.
First Avenue general manager Nate Kranz — yes, we have two Nates helping us sort through the two Wailers — offered this for an easy contrast between the groups: "We have the 'young' Wailers," he said.
Here's a more complicated explanation of which Wailers are which.
The Wailers
Playing: 8 p.m. Thursday at First Avenue ($25; first-avenue.com).
Who's in it? This version of the group is led by Aston Barrett Jr., son of longtime Wailers bassist and bandleader Aston "Family Man" Barrett. The elder Barrett retained legal rights to the group name all these years, at times enduring disputes with the Marley family. When he retired, he handed the moniker off to his son, who had been playing drums in the group.
Aston Jr. recently relaunched these Wailers with a new album, "One World," co-produced with fellow Miami music vet Emilio Estefan. Other members include bassist Owen "Dreadie" Reid, who played in Julian Marley's Uprising Band, and longtime guitarist Donald Kinsey.
Our take: Though not as directly connected to Marley as the other lineup, the youthfulness here is an asset. Also, having local heroes the Big Wu serve as their opening act certainly adds to the likelihood the show will be jammin'.
The Legendary Wailers
Playing: Sept. 1 and 2, 8:30 p.m., Leinie Lodge Bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair (free with fair admission).
Who's in it? It is led by a bandmate of Marley's, guitarist Julian "Junior" Marvin, who joined before the "Exodus" album in 1977 and played with Bob until his death in 1981. In the ensuing decades, he toured with the Barrett-led Wailers and another lineup known as the Original Wailers with fellow guitarist Al Anderson before starting this lineup a few years ago with other "Original" member Stephen Samuels.
Our take: Marvin has a genuine musical pedigree beyond his years with Marley, including pre-Wailers stints playing with T-Bone Walker and Ike and Tina Turner. That adds a cool factor, as does the perhaps literally cool effect of being an outdoor show.
Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658
@ChrisRstrib
