The Original Wailers will return to Australia in March 2027 for the One Love Tour, bringing one of reggae’s most enduring catalogues back to local stages. Led by guitarist Al Anderson, the sole surviving member of the classic mid-1970s Bob Marley & The Wailers lineup, the seven-date run will take in Perth, Adelaide, Wollongong, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. With Anderson now carrying the responsibility of preserving the music he helped create alongside Bob Marley, the tour is being positioned as a celebration of songs that remain among the most influential works in popular music.
by Paul Cashmere
The significance of the tour extends beyond nostalgia. More than four decades after Bob Marley’s death in 1981, the number of musicians with a direct connection to the band’s most celebrated era continues to diminish. Anderson’s presence offers audiences a rare link to the period that produced landmark recordings including Natty Dread, Live!, Babylon By Bus, Survival and Uprising.
This tour is announced when legacy acts increasingly dominate concert schedules, reflecting a growing demand to experience music connected to its original creators. While many tribute productions perform Marley songs around the world, The Original Wailers occupy a distinctive place because of Anderson’s role in the recordings and tours that helped establish Marley as a global cultural figure.
Al Anderson continues to honour a request he says Marley made shortly before his death. Anderson recalls Marley telling him, “Al, I’m going on my journey. Please honour the music that we made together and make sure the band stays together.”
That commitment has shaped Anderson’s career since Marley’s passing. He joined Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1974 during the Natty Dread sessions and remained a key contributor through some of the group’s most commercially and artistically successful years. His guitar work can be heard across several of the band’s defining albums and international tours.
Anderson’s reggae credentials extend beyond Marley. He also performed with Peter Tosh, appearing on Tosh’s influential albums Legalize It and Equal Rights, recordings that helped define the direction of roots reggae during the 1970s.
Aussie fans can expect a setlist built around Marley’s best-known songs. Recent performances by The Original Wailers have featured classics including Is This Love, No Woman, No Cry, Three Little Birds, One Love, Jamming, Get Up, Stand Up, I Shot The Sheriff, Buffalo Soldier and Could You Be Loved. The concerts typically balance major international hits with deeper catalogue selections such as Rat Race, Rastaman Vibration and Smile Jamaica.
The Original Wailers were accelerated in 2008 by Anderson and fellow former Wailers guitarist Junior Marvin. Marvin departed the group in 2011, leaving Anderson as the band’s central figure and direct connection to the Marley era. Since then, the group has toured internationally while also developing original material.
In 2012, The Original Wailers released the Miracle EP through MRG Recordings. Produced by Anderson and renowned engineer Karl Pitterson, the release earned a nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. While the band’s reputation remains closely tied to the Marley catalogue, the recording demonstrated an ongoing commitment to creating new music alongside preserving reggae history.
There is also a broader cultural dimension to the tour. Marley’s music continues to resonate across generations because its themes of unity, social justice, resilience and community remain relevant. Songs such as One Love and Get Up, Stand Up have transcended the reggae genre to become part of the global cultural vocabulary. For many concertgoers, these performances represent more than a revisit to classic songs. They offer a connection to a musical legacy that continues to influence artists across rock, pop, hip-hop and world music.
With the March 2027 dates now confirmed, Australian audiences are likely viewing the tour as one of the final opportunities to experience this chapter of reggae history firsthand. As the generation that created the music gradually passes from the stage, performances by artists such as Al Anderson take on added significance, serving as living links to one of popular music’s most transformative eras.
Dates:
13 March 2027, Perth, Astor Theatre
15 March 2027, Adelaide, The Gov
18 March 2027, Wollongong, Anita’s Theatre
19 March 2027, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
20 March 2027, Melbourne, Northcote Theatre
25 March 2027, Brisbane, The Tivoli
26 March 2027, Gold Coast, Twin Towns
Tickets:
Presale: Tuesday 9 June, 10am Local Time
General Public On Sale: Friday 12 June, 10am Local Time
https://metropolistouring.com/the-original-wailers/
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