As I walked through the doors of the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. on August 25 to see the Matisyahu show, I could tell this was not the average rock concert. The crowd was a mix of the hard-core and hipster regulars, Jewish guys wearing their Yarmulkes, and families. Yes, folks, this is the kind of concert you can bring Mom and Dad to—not only that, parents can bring their kids too. And sure enough, at one point, I find myself next to a kid, whose age I can only guess is about 10, as he rocks out singing along to the hit “One Day”.
Going to a Matisyahu concert is a little bit like, I would imagine, going to a really kick-ass synagogue. Hailing from New York, the Hasidic Jewish man turned reggae-hip-hop musician brings a new energy to both his music and his religion. All of Matisyahu’s songs are based around his religion as he takes influence from the culture, his upbringing, ancient Bible verses, and current events. His message is one of pride, struggle, and peace, relating to not only those who practice Judaism, but to the masses, providing a popular venue, mixing modern rock, reggae, hip-hop, in a jam-band style performance.
Matisyahu brings an unsuspecting presence to the stage, walking on wearing an all-white outfit that can only be described as something a house-painter would wear, a traditional scarf, and tops this off with a white Yankees hat and Converse chucks. He moves with an energy that seems to come from within and brings the crowd on a journey through his music—and the crowd is eager to go wherever he feels.
The show is a bit more, well, Jewish than I suspected—which seems redundant to say as Matisyahu’s niche is a Jewish musician. The show kicks off with an emotional sentiment, Matisyahu singing in a spiritual, almost chant-like manner, leading into an energetic beat. There was much more of his slower, improvisational singing and chanting than he has on his albums, though he intermittently interjected these bouts with some fast-paced rapping and beat boxing. To the ecstasy of the crowd, he also rocked the hits from his 2006 Youth album, including my personal favorite “Time Of Your Song”. Towards the end of the show, he brought out his popular songs from his newest Light album.
Matisyahu talents range from what a friend of mine calls “his Jewish singing voice” to “traditional Jamaican Bob Marley style reggae.” He also rocks the hip-hop beats, rapping with speed that can rival anyone, and at times he whips out a sick beat box. Matisyahu has an uncanny ability to change the mood between and within his songs from a slow and contemplative to a lively and up-beat jam. At times the change is swift and other times he creates quite a build-up, creating a layers of progression and resulting in a full-on dance party. He moves with lightness across the stage, sometimes swaying on his toes and sometimes breaking out in a full-on jig around the stage.
Though a bit out of place, and a little lost at times—especially during the times when biblical versus were chanted—the night was a success and one thing his for sure, Matisyahu is an extremely talented guy. I strongly recommend checking him out if you either have not heard of him or appreciated his jam-packed songs—visit his website where you can stream his music and learn more.
Get a taste of Matisyahu’s Dance Moves on stage!
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