CLICK
HERE to open 
RadioREGGAE.COM
MAIN Page |
 |
CLOSE WINDOW |
Bob Marley "Tribute To
Freedom" at Universal
CITYWALK in Orlando, Florida, USA
A Friday Night visit ...
There's
a line at the door (moving fairly quickly)... just takes a while to collect
those $4.00 cover charges and to make sure everyone has a cold beer for another
$4.00 before they even get to pay the cover at the door... LOTS of Red Stripe
and numerous other beers and alcoholic beverages... yah mon! Somehow this
does not seem like a spiritual or cultural experience... Oh yes, Ras John...get
wid da real ting mon...
"A
Tribute To Freedom"... the freedom to party hardy with Red Stripes in both
hands and not a spliff to be found!
Ok, much of the Marley Family is involved from Mother B to Rita to the Melody Makers (some or all...who knows) so, can it be all bad? NO. There are a lot of great photos, artifacts, and other Hard Rock Cafe type items filling the restaurant and bar walls, stairways and restrooms. As restaurants/clubs go it has a great vibe with a large open air dance floor, cozy dinning areas and a good sound system (you have to spend a lot of time standing over people's tables while they try to eat and talk to see much of the stuff on display but that didn't bother me, of course, I was looking and not eating). The house band, EXODUS, was excellent, serving up a mix of Marley music and everything else from Roots to DJ styling.
Stephen
Davis (author of the book pictured to the left), Timothy White and Roger
Steffens would probably loose their appetites at Bob's place... they have
heralded his cultural, spiritual and artistic genius for a few decades...
would they be willing to sit down for menu items like NO WOMAN, NO CRY (Juicy
Orange Supremes and Crispy Baby Lettuces with Island Hearts of Palm, Crispy
Fried Angel Hair Onions and Refreshing Citrus Vinaigrette) - that's right
off the menu above - just consider that this is an appetizer named after a song
consoling a woman whose son has just been shot down in the street and died ...
how about BELLY FULL (Jamaican Beef Patties with a Flaky Pastry Crust Around a
Spicy Beef Filling Made with Thyme, Turmeric and Jerk Spice with our own Smoky
Ketchup and Yucca Fries) and in case anyone wants to know what REGGAE
is, it's an entree (Jerk-Marinated Chicken Breast in
Authentic Jamaican Jerk Seasoning and Chargrilled on Bamboo Skewers Served with
Creamy Cucumber Dipping Sauce and Sweet Potato Chips) ... now while that may
sound pretty tasty and Chris Blackwell probably picked the Chef to make sure the
place got good food reviews in Cosmo and Ocean Drive Magazine, I don't think Bob
generally ate much meat or drank much beer for that matter.
Part of Bob is surely rolling over in his grave but another part is just as certainly amused... For one thing, Bob believed that getting his message out was worth working the system to achieve... the restaurant clearly supports his legacy from an entertainment / record company perspective but there is not much message in the mix. None the less, to go from a very humble beginning in Jamaica to a theme restaurant in the heart of capitalism at CITYWALK, Universal Studios in Orlando (Disney World) Florida is some kind of statement... Bob must think it is pretty ironic considering his message... and they're packing them in...we gonna chase those crazy baldheads out of town.... enjoying life takes a sense of humor.
