Red Red Wine, Blue Blue Sky: UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell Brought the Big Love to Pompano Beach

All images by Larry Marano

There are few things more perfectly suited to a warm South Florida night than a set full of reggae, and on April 17, UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell delivered exactly that at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. The Birmingham-born band, riding a wave of momentum from their Big Love 2026 North American Tour, gave a crowd of sun-kissed faithful exactly what they came for.

Ali Campbell, the unmistakable voice behind more than four decades of UB40's catalog, proved that time has been nothing but kind. His vocals were warm, relaxed, and utterly effortless, wrapping around fan favorites like a well-worn record you never get tired of spinning. When "Red Red Wine" rolled in, the amphitheater became one collective sway, arms up, heads back, the kind of communal joy that only a truly timeless song can manufacture.

The band, a tight unit of players who have backed Campbell since 2008, operated as a well-oiled machine of groove and restraint. Reggae done right is never about excess, and this group understood that implicitly. The rhythm section locked in and stayed there, giving Campbell all the space he needed to command the stage with relaxed authority.

"(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You," UB40's reggae-dipped take on the Elvis classic, earned one of the biggest responses of the night, the crowd singing back every syllable unprompted. It was a reminder that the best covers don't cover a song so much as they claim it, and UB40 claimed that one a long time ago.

Pompano Beach was the third stop in a four-show Florida stretch and The Big Love Tour lived up to its name. It was a happy night, start to finish.