The Wailers, a Jamaican reggae group known for being Bob Marley’s former band, will be the opening act for Taio Cruz and Neon Trees on Slope Day, the Slope Day Programming Board announced Wednesday. The band accepted its offer Tuesday morning.
The Wailers last graced Cornell in 2003, when they performed at Bailey Hall the week after Slope Day.
“We were looking out for acts within our budget and so The Wailers’ name came up within our list of possibilities … We thought it would be in accordance with our mission to get the widest variety of genre on Slope Day, to get something that will appeal to everybody,” said Sam Breslin ’12, selections director of SDPB.
The band was formed by the remaining members of Bob Marley and The Wailers after Marley’s death in 1981.
“It’s a Bob Marley band and after 1981 they have still been touring and playing a lot of classic Bob Marley stuff like Three Little Birds,” Breslin said. “They are playing at Ithaca College the same day, so it really couldn’t have been more perfect.”
SDPB decided to book The Wailers in part because reggae artists rarely perform at Cornell, according to Noelle Cornelio ’12, chair of SDPB.
“I am pretty sure that the last time we had reggae show was when the Wailers performed [in 2003],” she said. “We hope that reggae would attract a new kind of crowd.”
According to Breslin, The Wailers will play “all of Bob Marley’s classics,” diversifying the line-up and providing a “great, chill vibe” for people as they arrive at the Slope.
“While I can’t guarantee a Bob Marley hologram, I can guarantee a great performance and vibe,” he said referring to the hologram of the deceased Tupac Shakur that was projected at Coachella last week.
Marley and The Wailers have sold more than 250 million albums worldwide, according to the band’s website.
British pop singer and rapper Taio Cruz will headline this year’s Slope Day. Pop rock band Neon Trees will also be an opener.
Original Author: Manu Rathore