youth is the engine of the world

youth is the engine of the world

....The rest of the crowd certainly reacted to Matisyahu more than they did for either Gomez or the Spree, even if the first indication was the copious amount of pot smoke that wafted into the air the moment the lights fell. In a long shaft of white light encircled by his backing band, Matisyahu appeared onstage, swaying back and forth in his trademark wardrobe — longish black jacket and baggy jeans, white prayer shawl shirt and tennis shoes, and a black hat that was a cross between an Amish wide-brimmed style and a smaller fedora design (which was later revealed to bear a yarmalka beneath it). While I have little care for poseurs who sing old style reggae lyrics without being the slightest bit in touch with their meaning, it was a really powerful display to see the entire auditorium follow Matisyahu as he chanted “I say… Lord! Raise me up, from the ground! I’ve been here… far too long.”

SETLIST - SAN JOSE

1. Lost Dimension
2. Time of Your Song
3. Chop ‘Em Down
4. Fire of Heaven / Altar of Earth
5. Exhaltation
6. Close My Eyes
7. Indestructible
8. Beatbox
9. Jam
10. Jerusalem
11. King Without A Crown
12. Youth
ENCORE
13. Lord Raise Me Up
14. Warrior

SETLIST - BERKELEY

1. Lord Raise Me Up
2. Time of Your Song
3. Chop ‘Em Down
4. Youth
5. Exhaltation
6. Close My Eyes
7. Indestructible
8. Hama Ya, Hama Yo
9. Jam
10. Fire of Heaven / Altar of Earth
11. Jerusalem
12. King Without a Crown
ENCORE
13. Beatbox
14. Heights

Both sets, while very similar, were impressive in their differences. The emphasis on Matisyahu’s beatboxing — which is absolutely stunning, and I personally think he trounces even the great Rahzel in his performances — was more pronounced in the Berkeley show, as it kicked off the encore and was followed by the frenetic energy of “Heights”. Similarly, when the crowd was fully saturated with the amazement and energy of his show, the response for “Lord Raise Me Up” at the San Jose show was as intense, if not moreso, than that for when it opened the Berkeley show. “Youth”, for the way it is performed — with chaotic, prismatic lights, and another fellow dressed just like Matisyahu (though he looked younger) dancing back and forth with the charismatic yet quiet frontman — works better as a set closer than being thrown in midway; the same, however, can be said for “King Without A Crown”.

Matisyahu’s lights play a large factor in his set in two main areas. The first is for the band’s impressive jam sessions. The guitarist shreds like a metal maniac, but also jives and grooves like the speediest surf rocker you’ll ever see; the drummer and percussionist are both amazing in their agility and ability; and the keyboardist and bassist hold the foundations of the set strongly. The other times the lights are very wild and prominent are during his high-voiced, rapid-fire lyric blasts that come in as a final verse or bridge — and at those moments, the speed and intensity of the lights match his energy extremely well.

Here I am talking about all the effects and the structure of the set — how was the main man himself? To describe Matisyahu as “good” or “talented” puts too simple of a term on it. I would describe him as “flowing intricately”. The mood of each of his songs is amazingly well reflected in his movements — whether it be swaying back and forth like a mournful spirit while crooning out a fluttering, meandering series of long, deep, powerful tones, or perhaps his wild, pseudo-moonwalk spin dancing and spitfire vocal delivery; whatever the case, the moods of the songs followed the movements of their leader extremely well. The Berkeley show seemed to garner more direct attention to him (I still say it’s because the lack of the Spree!), to the point that in the middle of his beatboxing, he paused to sing lightly and whisper, and until he left the mic, the crowd was dead silent — almost as sincere in their quiet as the Sigur Ros crowd had been.

The diversity of the music in the two shows both made them extremely worthwhile experiences, and I am extremely glad I went to them. Matisyahu will be a return favorite of mine in the future — barring the likelihood that he will eventually be so big that he’ll just play arenas — and the Polyphonic Spree was downright epic. I’ve never seen a band carry that much power for such a long set, and I have yet to find a frontman like Matisyahu who brings out so much spirit and energy in his followers, while all the time remaining quiet and reflective as the music drifts from him like water.

(taken from lexiconnocturnum)