Last night, my friend Bennett and I went to see Matisyahu play at The Catalyst here in Santa Cruz. The Catalyst is a fairly small club, so it is always fun to go to shows there as you can pretty easily walk up close to the stage even when it is a sold out show like it was last night. The photos here are ones I took last night at the show.
Matisyahu is a member of Chabad-Lubavitch, a chassidic group of Judaism and he wears the clothing and Hasidic look. You could see the prayer tassels he was wearing last night. The music is sort of blend of reggae and pop/rock - mainly reggae. I am not really a reggae fan, but the unusualness of Matisyahu has caused me to like his music and he does some very cool and beautiful vocal arrangements and some beat box sounds as well. He also interests me seeing how popular he is getting and it is such an odd visual and musical mix seeing a Hasidic-dressed fellow singing reggae and dancing around.
What is even more fascinating to me, is how biblically themed so many of his lyrics are to his songs. It isn't just a gimmick or show, he takes his faith very seriously. He doesn't ever have a concert on the Sabbath. Last night was Saturday night so the Sabbath was ending and he started the show by coming out with a large candle-torch and what looked like a prayer book of sorts and began singing a prayer. He was singing the prayer in Hebrew so I don't know what he was singing, but it felt like it was possibly a prayer about the ending of the Sabbath or something like that.
He then went into a really great set of music and played most of the songs I am familiar with. The place was totally packed and it was sold out. So it was really intriguing having all these people hearing all these lyrics.
Some of the lyrics of a few songs are:
"Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do."
"Exaltation, my G-d of salvation
The field and there in will be filled with jubilation
The lord's name will be proclaimed amongst the Nations
We don't have no time for patience."
"Open up my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise
Open up my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise."
"My soul thirsts for you
My flesh longs for you
In a land parched and weary
With no water
So too in the sanctuary
To have beheld you
Your might
And your glory."
It was a very positive environment for a concert, and the whole concert felt very uplifting. I can't imagine people aren't at least a little taking in the seriousness of some of the lyrics being sung. Yet as much as I was fascinated with everyone listening to the lyrics - I believe Matisyahu is still waiting for Messiah - and I so badly wish he would then sing "Jesus" recognized as the Messiah he is waiting for. So as I think of it, I shall pray and at least be glad that people were hearing biblical themes and verses and my prayer is that they will be fulfilled in understanding Jesus as Messiah. But it was quite a concert and I would certainly see him again if he comes back to town. Very fascinating.
