Healthy plumes of smoke start wafting over my shoulder and up into the ether as the gig begins. It's 'erb smoke, man, and it's a blatant disregard for the smoking laws but it's not every night you have a Marley in town.
With his pendulous dreads hanging below his bum,
Damian "Jnr Gong" Marley commands the crowd just like his famous father, Bob, used to. And while he doesn't have the presence of his dad just yet, the most important thing is that his music stands up.
The band he leads is superb and their pace is perfect. Laid back and mellow, yet always brimming with energy and power. And Marley's flag-bearing side-kick, who does nothing but wave that flag the entire gig, has the best job in the world.
The hour-and-a-half set on Thursday is a mix of songs off Jnr Gong's three albums, including last year's excellent, Welcome To Jamrock, as well as a bunch of Bob Marley tracks like Lively Up Yourself and a 15-minute medley during the encore. There's probably a bit of overkill on his dad's music but when the renditions are this good, then who cares. And besides, he's allowed.
The best use of Bob's material, and concert highlight, was the inspiring and empowering Move! (from ... Jamrock), which has the call-to-arms chorus of "Exodus ... movement of Jah people" booming from it.
Elsewhere the haunting Road to Zion was stunning and the cheesy dancehall of Hey Girl shows that, as a friend put it, Marley has roots but can also party like that other Jamaican star, Sean Paul.
There's a great line in Hey Girl! that goes: "Junior you're a genius, you think with your mind and not your peanuts/You gang of Jamaican Al Pacinos drinking Blue Mountain cappuccinos." He is a genius, indeed.
And between him and his two staunch, yet nimble, female backup singers (who don't miss a note) you won't see better dance moves.
Ben from Christchurch flew up for this gig and he's feeling it bro'. Marley is "conscious, man, conscious", he says, gazing at the stage in awe.
Nicely put Ben, and what a welcome to jamrock it is.
