Buju Banton & Stephen Marley — UBS Arena, Finals Eve

July 18 is the night before the World Cup Final. The entire structure of the tournament — weeks of group stage, knockout rounds, drama across multiple continents — has been building toward what happens on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. On the evening of July 18, at UBS Arena in Elmont, Long Island, Buju Banton and Stephen Marley perform the Roots and Rhymes Tour. Spending Finals Eve at a reggae concert in New York is not an escape from the World Cup moment. It is a version of it.

Buju Banton's return to performing was one of the most celebrated comebacks in the history of Caribbean music. After his release in 2018 following a seven-year sentence, he returned to the stage for the Long Walk to Freedom Tour — shows that became events of emotional magnitude for audiences across Jamaica, the Caribbean diaspora, and the global reggae community. "Untold Stories," "Love Sponge," "Driver," "Wanna Be Loved." Live, he performs with the particular intensity of someone who understands that stages are not guaranteed.

Stephen Marley carries both his own Grammy-winning catalog and the weight of his father's legacy. His solo work — Old Soul, Mind Control, the Revelation series — demonstrates that the Marley musical intelligence is not only inherited but developed. He is his own artist. What he brings to this co-headlining bill is not just a famous name but a genuine artistic presence.

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July 18 places this show at the intersection of multiple communities at maximum presence in New York. The Caribbean diaspora in New York City is one of the largest in the world — Jamaican, Trinidadian, Guyanese, Barbadian, Haitian, and broader West Indian communities whose cultural investments include both World Cup soccer and reggae music. These are communities that will have been at matches, fan zones, and watch parties for weeks. July 18 gives them a night that is entirely their own.

UBS Arena in Elmont is accessible via the LIRR from Penn Station — approximately 40 minutes on event-day service. The arena opened in 2021 and is among the newest and best-sounding in the region. Finals Eve. One night before the World Cup championship. There are worse ways to spend it. See all UBS Arena events in the complete NYC venue calendar.

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July 18 — official Ticketmaster