With fear surrounding COVID-19 subsiding, the entertainment industry continues to show signs of a rebound. Several reggae acts are going back on the road, especially in the United States.

Israel Vibration, one of the best touring reggae artistes of the past 25 years, are scheduled to kick off an 11-date tour of the United States West Coast tomorrow. Ten of the shows take place in California, with a sole event slated for Colorado.

Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin and Cecil “Skelly” Spence are accompanied by the Roots Radics, their longtime touring band. Their opening show is at Evenings At Elings in Santa Barbara, followed on Saturday by a gig at Fox Theater in Salinas.

The roots duo, who met as polio patients at Mona Rehabilitation Centre in St Andrew during the 1950s, will perform at several venues popular with West Coast reggae fans for many years. Those include the 300-capacity Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz (on March 13), the 500-seat The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano (March 20), and the 600-seat Belly Up Tavern in Solano Beach on March 22.

Bulgin and Spence close their tour on March 27 at Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox in Denver, Colorado.

Rigid Government COVID-19 restrictions in the US and Europe forced promoters to cancel a number of major shows since 2020. California, traditionally a happy hunting ground for roots-reggae acts, was one of the hardest-hit areas in the US.

Cali Vibes, which was held from February 4-6, featured a number of top acts such as The Marley brothers (Ziggy, Stephen, Damian, Ky-Mani, and Julian), Sean Paul, Rebelution, Koffee, Protoje, and Shaggy.

Last year, there were reggae shows in Florida, North Carolina and Texas, which signalled a return of live events.

Best known for songs like The Same Song, Rudeboy Shuffling and Strength of my Life, Israel Vibration were a trio when they recorded those singles. Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig, the group’s other original member who left in 1997, died in 2020.