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Live at the Greek

August 6, 2024 Review by Matt Martinez

Music is one of the biggest institutes that helps bring people together. Whether it’s helping people make new friends, or even just a parent handing down a cherished piece of music to their kids, there is a never-ending love shared over music.

When I found out I would see UB40 at the Greek Theatre, I knew this would be a special show. My best friend Brandon and I both lost our dads. My dad passed down his love for live music to me, and this show took place a couple days before the anniversary of his passing. Brandon’s dad shared UB40 with him often growing up, as it was one of his favorite bands. There was no one else I would want to experience this night with, and there was nothing but communal love in the air as fans packed in the theatre.

Opening the show was a band known as Inner Circle. These guys have been helping to carry to groove of reggae since the ‘60s, and they were the best band to start the night off. Right from the get go, Inner Circle had the crowd dancing and grooving to their tunes. Founding brothers Ian Lewis (bass) and Roger Lewis (guitar) still continue to get lost in the vibes and flow of their music.

Seeing these two just bumping onstage helps carry an ear wig into the crowd that got us all bumping with them. Bernard “Touter” Harvey (keyboards), Lancelot Hall (drums), Trevor “Skatta” Bonnick (vocals), and Andre Phillips (guitar) round off the rest of the band and brought the soul of reggae alive in the fans to kick off the show.

Being someone who isn’t too familiar with the genre, when they played one of their biggest hits, “Bad Boys” (the theme to “Cops”), I was completely caught off guard. As there is no way to not picture yourself as Will Smith or Martin Lawrence driving down Miami streets singing along.

Other songs Inner Circle played included “One Way,” “We ‘A’ Rockers,” “Games People Play,” “Sweet Jamaica,” “Boombastic,” and “Sweat (A La La La La Long).” The reggae vibes were already settling in, and I was all for the ride we were about to go on.

Up next was The English Beat, who infuse their ska and new wave sound with reggae influences. Founding member Dave Wakeling, armed with his arsenal of teardrop shaped guitars, could feel the love from the crowd as they roared for him with each song. Wakeling sings with such joy and passion to his voice, which is only exemplified by the smile of pure happiness he radiates with unto the crowd.

Wakeling was backed up by a horde of musicians including sax players, keyboardists, bass, drums, and a toaster known as Antonee First Class. Where Wakeling was the rock of the band that helped keep things moving and grooving, Antonee was the injection of adrenaline into the songs that brought up the pace and energy.

Their different styles of singing melded together in perfect harmony to never step over one another, but instead get the audience ping ponging their ears from one to the other as they traded off lyrics.

The English Beat gave us “Rough Rider,” “Tenderness,” “Save It For Later,” “Ranking Full Stop,” and ending with “Mirror in the Bathroom,” but they made the most of their limited time onstage.

We still didn’t feel like we got enough as you could hear the sadness from fans when we realized their set was over.

When it was time for our headliners, the crowd was more than excited to sing along with all their favorite UB40 songs.

As the band walked on stage, I was astounded to see that UB40 is made up of 11 talented musicians.

The core of the band features original members Jimmy Brown (drums), Robin Campbell (guitar), Earl Falconer (bass), Norman Lamont Hassan (percussion and trombone), and they are tied together with their vocalist, Matt Doyle, who has been with the band for three years now.

Doyle’s singing style elevates the original vocals and comes across with a brightness to it and his camaraderie with the rest of the band makes it feel like he’s been performing with them for decades.

The current formation of this band created an extra special moment for guitarist Robin Campbell, as his son Matt Campbell is now performing in the band as a backing vocalist. Getting to travel the world with your son and make these kinds of memories must be something sincerely cherished by both men.

An aspect I loved about the show was that Doyle was not the only vocalist, as the MC Gilly G came from the backline to show off his vocal talents on many songs. But it was percussionist Norman Lamont Hasson’s lead vocals on “Johnny Too Bad” that really got the crowd excited and cheering.

We even got a treat with two songs off their latest album UB45 called “Fool Me Once” and “Home.”

Some of UB40’s biggest songs have been covers, so whether you were familiar with the band’s music or not, you could find yourself singing along to many of their biggest hits.

They even split the set up with half the songs being covers, and the other half being originals: “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” “Keep on Moving,” “Maybe Tomorrow,” “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “Sing Our Own Song,” “Bring Me Your Cup,” “You Don’t Call Anymore,” “Cherry Oh Baby,” “Gimme Some Kind of Sign,” “Red Red Wine,” and even coming back for a three-song encore with “One in Ten,” “Kingston Town,” and ending with the Elvis classic, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

I will be the first to admit I am not well versed on reggae, so walking into a show like this, I didn’t quite know what to expect. But the music was so good and so accessible that Brandon and I could frequently find ourselves dancing in the crowd and singing along with the music by the second chorus of many songs.

We both found ourselves being a little emotional during this show thinking about our dads. The energy of the music and the joy and happiness of getting to have these experiences with each other. We know our dads were at this show with us. Dancing, singing, and grooving along with everyone else. 

And the epic tour continues, check out the UB40 website to see when they will play near you.

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by Matt Martinez Photography

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