Opera House: The Wailers 9/21

17 Sep Opera House: The Wailers 9/21

The Sheridan Arts Foundation presents reggae legends The Wailers, live in concert at Telluride’s historic Sheridan Opera House on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; show time is 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 general admission on the floor and $55 reserved seats in the balcony here* or call 970-728-6363, ext. 5, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Wailers are undoubtedly the world’s premier reggae and world music group. With Bob Marley, The Wailers sold over 250 million albums and played to an estimated 24 million people across the globe, performing an average of 200 dates a year over the past several decades in North and South America, Asia, the South Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Today’s line-up combines old school know-how with lead vocals from some of Jamaica’s most exciting new singers.

The Wailers perform varied sets from its extensive discography, including tracks from Legend, #46 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Legend is also the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide and a 2014 re-release topped Billboard’s Top 5 – proving the timeless appeal of the Wailer’s sound spans generations.

The band also performs selections from Exodus, named by Time magazine as the “Album of the 20th Century.” (It was released in 1977.)  In keeping with the band’s tradition of touring with album themes, the Wailers have been performing entire sets devoted to songs from the specific albums such as Legend, Exodus, Uprising, and Survival.

Never ones to be pigeonholed in the past, The Wailers reaffirmed their continuing relevance and versatility in modern music with a guest spot on country superstar Kenny Chesney’s hit single, “Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven,” and also appeared in a video for the song shot in Jamaica.

Nor have they forgotten their tradition of social consciousness, donating proceeds from fundraising efforts at their concerts to benefit the World Food Program (WFP) in conjunction with the United Nations, feeding thousands of starving children around the globe. In 2010 the band recorded “A Step for Mankind”; the song and accompanying music video were released to benefit the WPF.

The set list for a Wailers performance is determined by what the band feels is timely and what they think the audience may need to hear from the extensive Bob Marley and Wailers’ catalog.

Mindful of what is going on in the region and in the world, the band puts together the best set of songs for each set. Their shows are not just entertainment, the band is here to educate and inspire. Focusing on problems of poverty and separation, the Wailers aim to provide solutions and ultimately promote peace and unity across all cultures. Fans sing along to Marley’s timeless words  and resonate with these timeless reggae rhythms.

Reggae music has never stopped evolving, but for millions of people from around the world it is still defined by the songs of Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Here’s sample of what’s to come:

*Does not include $4 ticketing fee.

More about Telluride’s Opera House & Foundation:

The Sheridan Arts Foundation was founded in 1991 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to preserve the historic Sheridan Opera House as an arts and cultural resource for the Telluride community, to bring quality arts and cultural events to Telluride, and to provide local and national youth with access and exposure to the arts through education. The Sheridan Arts Foundation is sponsored in part by grants from the Telluride Foundation, CCAASE, and Just For Kids.