Cedella Marley Details What Visitors Can Expect At Her Father’s ‘Bob Marley: One Love Experience’ Opening This Week
On Friday (January 27), the opening of the “Bob Marley: One Love Experience” will take place at Ovation Hollywood and provide American fans of the Reggae legend an experience like no other.
The exhibit, which will run until April 23, notably features the entire Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Bob Marley Archive, including previously unseen photographs, rare memorabilia, and various other surprises, including the world’s largest indoor vinyl record celebrating the 1984 compilation album Legend.
The 15,000-square-foot Los Angeles exhibit opening follows two extremely successful smaller versions previously showcased in London and Toronto. To date, it will be the biggest Bob Marley exhibition put on.
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“I think this being our third installment, I figure that we have a few surprises that when you get there, you'll see it yourself,” Cedella Marley, the groundbreaking musician’s daughter, recently told BET.com. “But it’s just awesome always looking at giant pictures of daddy.”
Produced by the Marley Family and Terrapin Station Entertainment, Cedella says the previous two One Love Experiences, in some ways, served different purposes with the latter even having to be extended eight weeks to meet demand from fans and spectators.
“I think London played a very important part in daddy's life. That is where the Exodus album was made. He went there after the [1976] assassination attempt on both him and my mom [in Kingston, Jamaica] and so it was a special place for us. So London just kind of felt right,” explains Cedella Marley of the Saatchi Gallery exhibit.
“And then Toronto now, Toronto is a funny place because I'm not sure how many times daddy actually played Toronto,” she adds. “But the people, Canadians, it's like you can feel a different type of love from them when it comes to dad, his legacy, his music, it’s like they have a different type of passion.”
Additionally, the Experience features a 2,000-square foot immersive One Love Forest that takes visitors on a trip to Jamaica in a multi-sensory environment, which also features a cannabis garden and giant joint. Upon entering the Soul Shakedown studio, fans will be greeted with headphones to listen to a curated playlist in the silent disco.
“One of my favorite parts is how we built this room – you kind of feel like you're walking backstage of daddy performing in front stage,” explains Bob’s daughter. “We have the equipment boxes, the way the music is coming out behind the curtains, it feels muted. You kind of feel like if you open the curtains, you'll be seeing him perform live. So there's certain little things that I know that people have said to me that makes their spine tingle a little bit because you can feel his presence and that makes me happy.
“You kind of feel like you're in a Fern Gully type of vibe,” she continues. “If you've ever been to Jamaica and experienced Fern Gully – I don't even know how many miles it is – but you just actually go through this gully that is just ferns to the left and to the right. It's very cool and misty and you smell different things. It feels like you're in Jamaica, but it's like a fairy tale of Jamaica per se.”
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The exhibition also showcases exclusive art from Mr. Brainwash, The Postman, Camoworks, Idiotbox, and many more that highlight Bob Marley’s influence on street art.
For those looking for even more out of the One Love Exhibition, VIP packages are available and include exclusive vinyl pressed in Jamaica and embossed with the OLE logo, a poster, a laminate, and a flexible check-in time. Additionally, on Saturdays and Sundays, the exhibit will offer guided tours, and daily, the exhibit will offer a special 4:20 package that will be available from 4-5 p.m., including entrance to the 4:20 Lounge.
Cedella Marley says the work of opening a third and even bigger exhibit has been long and difficult but extremely rewarding, considering she’s honoring someone who’s ever-present in her life, even though he’s been gone for almost 43 years.
“I think it was emotional when I first started but now that I'm up there it becomes more passion,” she says. “My father always wanted his music to reach every single corner of the earth, and some people believe he has. Ummm, no. There's some places actually, where it's illegal to listen to him, that we have to get some laws changed, but it's my passion. It's always been, and as long as I live, I will continue to do that work. I'm happy when I see the results because it's really his work.”
To learn more about the Bob Marley: One Love Experience and to buy tickets, click here.