Two of music’s hottest performers arrived at the Bank of America Pavilion to deliver an early September concert with a mid-July feel. The hot-blooded Jamaican sound of Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley and the polished musicianship of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals brought the under-30 crowd to the waterfront venue and made the cold winter months seem distant.

Marley and his band moved seamlessly from song to song during their brief set. The entire band, from the rhythm section to the back-up singers, was impressive, and Marley delivered a passionate performance. Waist-length dreadlocks flailing behind him, Damian had the crowd jumping to “In 2 Deep” from his most recent album Welcome to Jamrock. During slower numbers like “There for You,” his vocals resonated with the same urgency and longing of his famous father.

Towards the end, Damian brought brother Stephen on stage to collaborate on “All Night” and a medley of their father’s hits, sending the crowd into a frenzy with a rousing version of “Could You Be Loved.” Clearly aiming to please the crowd, Jr. Gong’s set list focused on his mainstream material and covers of Bob Marley favorites, unfortunately leaving off many of Jr.’s best original works. He closed his brief set with the booming street anthem “Welcome to Jamrock.”

Ben Harper followed, taking the stage to roaring applause. Aiming to please, Harper put on a dynamic show, effortlessly switching from a heavy metal sound to breezy, guitar-driven melodies and nearly everything in between. His band, The Innocent Criminals, created a rich musical backing for Harper, picking up some of the slack on some of his more repetitive lyrical themes. Bassist Juan Nelson briefly stole the spotlight with a jazz-inspired scat routine, and lead drummer Leon Mobley’s contagious energy infected the crowd. As a unit, Harper and band were on top of their game.

Harper took his time moving through his eclectic catalog, working through extended versions of “Diamonds on the Inside” and “With My Two Hands.” The highlight of the concert was when Harper brought back the brothers Marley to perform “Get Up, Stand Up,” and, led by Stephen Marley’s strong vocals and backed by a combination of the Innocent Criminals and Jr. Gong’s band, fists pumped in the air across the venue.