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‘Humbled and blessed’

UB40’s Ali Campbell and Astro return to A&B Amphitheater for electrifying concert

UB40 featuring Ali Campbell (left) and Astro returns at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to the A&B Amphitheater at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. New Zealand reggae stars Katchafire and Maui’s Josh Tatofi will open the show. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $59 with a limited number of $159 VIP tickets (plus applicable fees) available. Prices increase $10 day of show. VIP ticket holders receive front of stage viewing access, dedicated beverage areas and access to Yokouchi Pavilion restrooms and seating areas. For tickets or more information, visit the box office, call 242-7469 or go online to www.mauiarts.org. MACC lot parking passes are $25 and are available in advance from the box office. Additional parking is $10 cash only at the University of Hawaii Maui College lot or in the grass lot near the recycling center. Photo courtesy the MACC

UB40’s founding lead singer, Ali Campbell, has called Maui “one of my favorite places on the planet,” and at 5:30 p.m. Saturday he will return with vocalist Astro to deliver another electrifying concert in the A&B Amphitheater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.

“We can’t wait to get back to the islands,” says Astro. “We have an eight-piece band with me and Ali, and we’ll play as many hits as we can and a few new numbers from our current album. There will be something for everybody.”

Excelling at crafting memorable melodic songs, UB40 has done more to popularize reggae than any other artist since Bob Marley. With global record sales of more than 70 million, it ranks as the world’s most popular reggae band.

“I wake up every day feeling humbled and blessed,” says Astro. “We have such a fantastic fan base around the world. It’s the greatest feeling that you’re loved and admired and respected. Performing on stage, we get off on seeing our fans enjoying themselves and we rise to the occasion.”

With two touring/recording versions of the band in existence, the Ali Campbell-led UB40 released one of its most popular albums in years in 2018 — “A Real Labour of Love.” Building on the success of its popular “Labour of Love” series, which featured interpretations of reggae classics, “A Real Labour of Love” focused on music from the 1980s.

Raiatea Helm joins Hawaii Youth Symphony for a free concert at the Castle Theater. Photo courtesy the MACC

The album entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at No. 1 and reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart (their highest charting new album since “Promises and Lies” in 1993).

Among the highlights are JC Lodge’s “Telephone Love,”

Gregory Isaacs’ “Hush Darling,” Culture’s “International Herb” and Shinehead’s “Strive.”

” ‘Labour of Love I, II and III’ were songs we grew up with that we listened to as kids, and made us want to be musicians playing reggae music,” says Astro. “This new album, the songs are from the ’80s — what we were listening to on the tour bus. It was a really important time for reggae and the start of bass lines being done on keyboards instead of traditional bass. These were brilliant songs you would be hearing constantly. We have enough material for a couple more ‘A Real Labour of Loves.’ The ones we put down were our first choice.”

“The title gives it away, the album is a labour of love, but more,” praised Spill Magazine. “It is their chance to acknowledge the music that influenced them and to maybe alert 2018 listeners to some classic songs from the past that may be somewhat forgotten.”

Last August, Campbell collaborated with Slightly Stoopid on an updated version of Pete Tosh’s classic, “Legalise It.”

“A few years ago, we recorded a dub album which never saw the light of day, and we’ve brought those tracks to life,” Astro explains. “We’re getting a few American reggae bands involved like Sojah and Slightly Stoopid. We’ve got a lot going on at the moment.”

Campbell, Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue previously released the acoustic “Unplugged” album of re-recorded favorites like “Kingston Town,” “Red Red Wine” and Jimmy Cliff’s epic “Many Rivers to Cross,” highlighted by Campbell’s impassioned vocals.

The trio’s recordings include the concert CD, “The Hits of UB40 Live,” featuring classics like “Cherry Oh Baby,” “Here I Am” and “Rat in the Kitchen.”

Founded in 1978 in Birmingham, England, in time the group topped the charts with infectious reggae covers of songs like Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine” and Elvis Presley’s ballad, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

When they first formed, the fledgling musicians were all unemployed and adopted their name from a UK benefit form. While on welfare, Campbell was involved in a pub fight that resulted in a compensation payment — this allowed the young reggae fans to buy instruments.

Astro first fell in love with reggae hearing Desmond Dekker & The Ace’s brilliant hit, “Israelites,” released in 1968. It was the first UK reggae No. 1, and among the first to reach the U.S. Top 10.

“I was getting ready for school, and it stopped me dead in my tracks,” he recalls. “Then I saw Desmond Dekker on ‘Top of the Pops’ a couple of weeks later, and I was hooked on reggae music.”

Their debut album, “Signing Off,” was partly recorded in a friend’s garden.

“We recorded it in a tiny bedsitter a studio) and we had to put 50 pence in the meter (for electricity),” he reports. “It was that small that the percussionist had to have all his stuff in the back garden. If you listen on headphones, there are tracks where you can hear birds in the background and the rumble of a Midland red bus driving by. It was very makeshift but it went on to sell eight million copies. It’s still one of my favorite albums.”

Discovered by Chrissie Hynde, UB40 were invited to open for a Pretender’s tour, and this valuable exposure fueled the success of their first single, “King”/“Food for Thought,” which sold half a million copies.

Scoring more than 50 hits on the UK Singles Chart, UB40 broke into America in 1988 in the form of a reggae cover of “Red Red Wine,” from its tremendous album, “Labour Of Love.”

The band’s iconic tune can now be savored as a limited edition wine, UB40 Red Red Wine Bordeaux Superieur.

A few years later, they again topped the U.S. charts with a soulful cover of Elvis’ ballad, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The hit song was included on the album “Promises and Lies,” which sold more than nine million copies worldwide.

Looking back over the band’s 40-year career, Astro feels most proud about a couple of accomplishments.

“We’ve had so many memorable moments. One of my favorites is playing Madison Square Garden the same week as ‘Red Red Wine’ had just got to No. 1 in the U.S. The only other band in history to play Madison Square Garden while you had a No. 1 was the Beatles. That made me smile a bit.

“Another memorable moment was playing Zimbabwe after Nelson Mandela had been released, and apartheid had been dismantled. I think we still hold the record for the most attendance in an outdoor gig — 200,000 people.”

*****

Congratulations to Maui’s Kalani Pe’a for another Grammy win. Two years in a row he’s been honored with the Grammy for Best Regional Roots Album.

*****

Meanwhile, Ky-mani Marley was a no-show at the Lahaina Civic Center on Saturday, which did not go down well with fans who had waited hours to see him.

*****

One of the U.K.’s most popular singers, Grammy winner Corinne Bailey Rae, is heading to the Castle Theater at the MACC on March 1. This brilliant artist’s albums have been praised as, “gloriously slick futuristic soul” and “boundary-defying, epic music.” She’s recorded with icons like Al Green and Herbie Hancock, and has been praised by Prince. Not to be missed.

• Tickets are $35, $55, $75, and $125 (plus applicable fees). For tickets or more information, visit the box office, call 242-7469 or go online to www.mauiarts.org.

*****

The Maui Pops Orchestra’s Winter Pops concert features guest conductor/violinist Lawrence Golan joining Pops’ Music Director James Durham at 3 p.m. Sunday in Castle Theater at the MACC.

The unique “Fiddle-Faddle” program includes music from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Schindler’s List,” “The Lord of the Dance,” “Carmen” and selections by Leroy Anderson and Charlie Daniels.

Acclaimed for his inspired performances and imaginative programming, Golan has developed a reputation as a dynamic, charismatic communicator. Recent highlights included guest conducting debuts with Germany’s Bayerische Philharmonie, Mexico’s Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes and China’s Wuhan Philharmonic.

• Tickets are $22, $35, $50 and $60, and half-price for students with ID 18 and younger excluding $22 seats (plus applicable fees). For tickets or more information, visit the box office, call 242-7469 or go online to www.mauiarts.org.

*****

Multi-instrumentalist Tavana returns to Charley’s Restaurant & Saloon in Paia at 9 p.m. Saturday. Guests include Tom Conway and Pat Simmons Jr. Admission is $15 and available at the door. This event is for those 21 and older. For more information, call 579-8085 or visit www.charleysmaui.com.

*****

Acclaimed multi-Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning Hawaiian musician Raiatea Helm will join the Hawaii Youth Symphony for a free concert at 4 p.m. Monday in the MACC’s Castle Theater.

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