eIf you weren't at last night's Wailers show at the Pantages, I'm sorry to say that you really, really missed out, mon.

The show was amazing on so many different levels. And best of all, almost all of the levels in the Pantages were full. Sweet!

Personally, I'd never been to a show there before, and I was so grateful for the fact that the Broadway Center for Performing Arts offered Love Tacoma a discount. Thank you, BCPA!

Right away I was awe struck by the diversity in the lobby where people were sipping on cocktails and sharing the excitement. To be honest, I'd be surprised if the Pantages has seen that much ethnicity before in its lifeline. The crowd looked like a United Colors of Benetton ad, and it felt incredible to be a part of that.

We eventually headed to our seats for the start and when the huge band moved to their instruments, the crowd went absolutely wild. Jessica C-B and I noted that the Pantages had probably never heard a roar that loud before.

We sat down for the first song, which was an instrumental jam. I think most of us were a little worried that the whole concert was going to be solely mellow and instrumental until a voice so clear, pristine and completely Marley-style started blasting through the speakers. When the vocalist first showed up on the stage, I sincerely thought he was lip syncing because I couldn't believe a noise that big could come out of a guy who was so slender, and from a distance looked like a very young Fidel Castro. He is Yvad, who was once signed to Tuff Gong by Bob's daughter Cedella Marley. He immediately got the crowd to jump on their feet, and every person in that audience danced the ENTIRE time. Little kids, hipsters, grown ups and grandparents â€" it was so wonderful to see everyone grooving all at once.

I was unfamiliar with the first couple of songs, but the hits started rolling in with "Stir it Up." Then that colorful audience sang all of the lyrics to songs like "One Love," "No Woman No Cry," and "Three Little Birds." Back-up singers Marie Dominuque Luce and Pascale Kameni Kamga hit chilling notes that filled the room and rose to the rafters. Add that on to the guitars, keyboard, organ, drums and horns, and you can only imagine how difficult it would've been to stay seated.

Also, it's tough for me to explain, but every time Yvad gave a shout out to Tacoma, the people responded in such a way that right then and there you could feel our city taking a turn for the better.

I called it early in the show that I'd be more than satisfied if I could only hear "Redemption Song." After the band made their first exit toward the end of the show, and the crowd went berserk to call 'em back. I was so stoked to see a bare bones assemblage of them return, and I knew what that meant. People raised their lighters and cell phones to welcome "Redemption Song," a song that will always bring a lump to my throat because those lyrics are so powerful and I miss Bob so much.

Their finale was perfect since it ended with "Exodus," but right before that they played "Get Up, Stand Up," which should really be Tacoma's theme song right now, but it also represented the successful venture of getting the crowd to dance for at least an hour and a half.

After, people could not stop talking about how much fun they had, how incredible of a show that was, and how this was exactly what Tacoma needed.

I have to sincerely congratulate the Broadway Center for Performing Arts. These are the types of shows that will bring life back to our theater district, and this is the exact kind of excitement and reassurance that our downtown deserves.

But most of all, it really reminded me of one very important thing to always remember:

Everything's gonna be allright. â€" Natasha