Positive energy

Well, I just got back from the Matisyahu concert, and it was awesome.

They kicked the show off with “Lord Raise Me Up” (my personal favorite), and from there, went right into “Youth” from the new CD. The whole show was a mixture of old and new. Before I tell you about Matisyahu, I must tell you about the guy that opened for him. His name is Trevor Hall, and he was... OK.

Back to Matisyahu.
I was a little surprised at how laid back he was before the show. He stood by the edge of the stage and watched the opening act and talked with the people who, wouldn’t seem to leave him alone. I got the feeling that he knew he was on the verge of something huge, and he was still trying to be as much of a normal guy as his surroundings would allow him to be. He seemed to be having fun though. If there is one thing that stands out about Matisyahu, it is the undeniable sense that he was genuinely having a good time, regardless of the surreal surroundings. I mean, you have this Hasidic Jewish guy singing these incredible songs, clearly praising Hashem (The Name), to very good reggae music. Then, in the crowd, you see college girls dressed like they were supposed to be at a Motley Crue show, waving their beers in the air, dancing with college jocks, and other assorted suburbia. There were all types.

As for the music, it was just as good as I had expected - except for the rapper, C-Rayz, who went up and did a little "freestyle" ditty on stage. Of the three guys that I took, nobody really cared for that part of the show. 'C' kept yelling, "Positive energy" then expected the crowd to repeat it, which they did, to the tune of about thirty times, which got a little old.

I got to learn Matisyahu's songs by listening to the Live at Stubbs CD, and they were definitely as good at the Vogue as they were at Stubbs. The band is dripping with talent – all of them. There is one peculiar thing that I noticed though. It concerns the guitarist, Aaron Dugan. While his rhythm is crystal clear, pure talent, with reggae roots, and his solos are concise, pieces of art that escalate into structured chaos, there is one thing that I can not shake. He bears a striking resemblance to Andy Dick.

See for yourself:

Talk about surreal.