All photos by David Meerman Scott

On September 23, 1980, Bob Marley, already a global icon and a beacon for reggae music, took the stage at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh for what would be his last live performance. The air was thick with anticipation as 3,500 fans packed the sold-out venue, but few knew they were about to witness the legend’s final performance. Marley was just 36, but his body was being ravaged by cancer—though he kept much of this hidden from the public. What played out on that Pittsburgh stage, however, was nothing short of musical transcendence.

David Meerman Scott: The Accidental Photographer

Among the crowd that night was David Meerman Scott, a 19-year-old Kenyon College student who had no idea he would capture history with his camera. “I was never rich or connected enough to have really great seats at a show,” Scott told Trib Total Media years later. “But wow, if you brought a cool camera and acted like you knew what you were doing, you could get right up front.”

It was Scott’s first time bringing a camera to a concert, but it turned out to be a stroke of cosmic luck. His images remain the only known photos from Marley’s last concert, documenting the Jamaican icon in a state that appeared full of vitality—flipping his long dreads back and forth, seemingly deep in reflection as he performed. In Scott’s words, “I think it was karma, or the cosmos, or the universe talking to me.”

Those photos are now a precious relic, preserving the energy and spirit of a man who, in reality, was in physical decline but showed no sign of backing down.

Health Concerns and Final Plans

What many fans didn’t know that night—and perhaps what Marley tried to deny to himself—was the severity of his illness. Behind the scenes, there was growing concern. Just a few days earlier, Marley had collapsed while jogging in Central Park. His health had been deteriorating rapidly due to metastatic melanoma, which had begun in his toe five years earlier after a soccer injury. The cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and liver, but Marley, driven by an almost otherworldly determination, refused to stop.

His bandmates and family, including his wife, Rita Marley, were deeply worried. According to Rita, they had begged him not to continue performing. “I said to him, ‘You don’t have to do this, not in this condition,’ but Bob, his spirit was always stronger than his body,” she told the Trib.

Promoter Rick Engler recalled the tension before the Pittsburgh show. Marley’s agent had warned Engler that Bob wasn’t well. “His face was drawn, and he looked very, very tired,” Engler told Relix. “I said, ‘Are you going to play?’ and he said, ‘I probably shouldn’t, but I need to do it for my band. They need the money. We’re here, we’re gonna play.’”

Despite the exhaustion, despite the pain, Marley knew this show had to happen. “Mon, I wasn’t going to, but I’m going to for my band and everybody,” Marley told Best Classic Bands contributor Rob Patterson in New York days before the show. “It’s a sold-out show. I’m going to do it.”

The Setlist: A Spiritual Journey

The show itself was everything fans had come to expect from a Bob Marley concert: spiritual, electric, and transformative. The Wailers opened with “Natural Mystic,” the ethereal, foreboding track that set the tone for the night. The show lasted 90 minutes, and despite Marley’s physical frailty, his energy onstage didn’t seem to falter. The setlist included classic hits like “Positive Vibration,” “Burnin’ and Lootin’,” “Exodus,” and “No Woman, No Cry.” According to Scott, the audience seemed to know every song by heart, their voices rising to meet Marley’s in a communal celebration of his music.

But it was the encore that would turn the night into legend. Marley returned for an emotional, stripped-down performance of “Redemption Song.” Playing solo on an acoustic guitar, his voice carried a haunting resonance, filling the room with both melancholy and hope. “Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom?” he sang, and though he had performed it before, this rendition felt like a final plea—a goodbye disguised as a call to arms.

The Emotional Weight of “Keep On Moving”

One lesser-known but poignant moment of the Pittsburgh show was during the soundcheck earlier in the day. Marley had rehearsed “Keep On Moving,” a track with lyrics that hit especially hard given the circumstances:

“Lord, I gotta keep on moving…
Lord, they’re coming after me.”

Those present said Marley’s delivery was intensely emotional, foreshadowing the battle he would continue fighting even after the music stopped. It was as if Marley was singing directly to the forces closing in on him, both physically and spiritually.

The Aftermath: The Tour Ends, The Legend Lives On

After the Pittsburgh show, Rita Marley made the difficult decision to cancel the rest of the tour. Marley’s health had declined to the point where performing was no longer an option. He returned to Germany for experimental cancer treatment, losing his iconic dreads as chemotherapy took its toll. Despite these efforts, Marley’s condition worsened, and he passed away on May 11, 1981, in Miami, surrounded by family.

His death at 36 marked the end of a remarkable life, but his final concert at the Stanley Theatre lives on in the hearts of those who were there. David Meerman Scott’s photographs have become a visual testament to the night Marley defied his failing body, driven by a deep sense of duty to his band, his fans, and his message.

The Stanley Theatre’s Place in History

The Stanley Theatre, now renamed the Benedum Center, remains hallowed ground for Marley fans. Scott’s photos show Marley in moments of quiet reflection and powerful engagement, the duality of a man aware of his impending fate but unwilling to succumb to it. Marley’s performance that night wasn’t just about music—it was a final act of resistance, a testament to his indomitable spirit.

Even years later, fans and critics alike reflect on that night as if it were a spiritual experience. As Rob Patterson later wrote, “It was gaunt and subdued Marley on stage, but when the music hit, he became larger than life.”

In the end, Bob Marley didn’t need to play that show. His bandmates and loved ones would have understood. But Marley’s music wasn’t just something he performed—it was a mission, a life’s purpose. As his wife Rita perfectly put it: “Bob’s connection to his music was spirit and power. He was such a force, and the audience felt his transformational liveliness.”

Redemption and Legacy

Marley’s final show at the Stanley Theatre wasn’t just the end of a tour—it was the end of an era. But what he left behind in that 90-minute performance was far more than just music. He gave the world one last “Redemption Song,” one final reminder that the fight for freedom—personal, political, and spiritual—never ends.

As fans reflect on that fateful night in Pittsburgh, one truth becomes clear: Marley’s legacy wasn’t just about revolution or reggae. It was about resilience, the kind that made him face down death with nothing but his voice and a guitar.

And isn’t that the truest redemption of all?