Matisyahu continuously proves himself time and time again to be nothing short of a phenomenal musician and performer, beard or no beard. If his Festival of Lights show last Saturday was to be summed up in a few words it would be: unconventional and full of a heart and soul. A bit righteous? Yes, but most definitely unconventional. How many shows does one have the pleasure of seeing at Terminal 5 in NYC, or anywhere for that matter, that involves a massive glittery dreidel, life size menorah, and an unassuming Jewish guy beatboxing?
Terminal 5 was jam packed with fans of all ages and ethnicities. The energy was at an all time high as Matisyahu capped off the last night of Hanukkah with tracks from his latest album Spark Seeker and hits from his canon of music. If there is one thing that you can count on at a Matisyahu show, it is plenty of energy. Matis feeds off the energy of the crowd, and vice versa; it’s really a beautiful sight to behold and take in. All of these people coming together and just having the time of their lives.
At one point, a beardless Matisyahu even had a little boy come up to light the menorah!
It has been an interesting  journey watching Matis evolve and transcend into different forms of spirituality and creativity. It was mentioned earlier that his show was unconventional, and it is pretty obvious why. Yes, there are countless articles that talk about how Matisyahu isn’t your typical reggae musician due to his religious lifestyle. But what is interesting, and almost a bit odd is the fact that here he is performing on the Sabbath, a day of religious observance and abstinence from work. Curiosity begs to ask what his explanation of this would be.
In either case, it’s not everyday you get to spend the last night of Hannukah in a jam packed venue with an extremely talented musician! This show was an absolute blast, to say the least.
-Jaclyn Fidler
In related news, Matisyahu will be performing at City Winery in NYC this evening, as part of a Hurricane Sandy relief benefit. The event will raise funds and awareness for the Tunnels to Towers Hurricane Relief Fund. Joining Matis will be Joan Osborne, Alberta Cross, Bobby Long, Ari Hest, Brooklyn native Kevin Devine, and several others. To purchase tickets to tonight’s event, click here.
