There is nothing usual about a 6-foot, 4-inch, fully bearded, ultra-orthodox Jew as a reggae singer or beatboxer, yet over 200 people packed the Sidelines Pub last Saturday.
Matisyahu Miller is a reggae singer and he is also a religious Jew. He fuses his two loves, urban hip-hop and Judaism to form a totally new type of music. His lyrics distinguish his music from standard reggae.
He incorporates not only Jewish ideas and philosophy in his music, but also traditional Hebrew and Yiddish songs. The lyrics are inspirational. They talk about needing God in life and needing God’s blessings. This is all set to traditional reggae beats provided by a Jewish but secular band.
The show itself was quite incredible and showed that Matisyahu is a consummate performer. It was impossible not to get into the music with its laid-back easy going rhythms.
Audience members were visibly bobbing their heads and tapping their feet. No one got up to dance but that could have had more to do with the tables and chairs that crowded the room than with the music itself.
The only disappointing thing about the show for me, and I have seen Matisyahu perform before, was the fact that he did not crowd surf as he did at the previous show. This is something that can also be blamed on the constricting venue of the Pub.
The highlight of the show was when Matisyahu, got off the stage and stood on a chair right in front of the room and beatboxed solo.
Not only did he beatbox, a form of percussion that has the artist using only his throat muscles, he did it incredibly well and for almost 10 minutes. Anyone who has tried to beatbox knows how hard this actually is to do much less for any length of time.
While his solo was the highlight of the show, he could not have put on a two-hour set without the backing of his band. Each musician; Josh Werner, bass; Aaron Dugan, guitar and Jonah David, drums added their own skill to the concert. Most people liked the show or at least the idea of an ultra-orthodox Jew rapping and beatboxing. Comments ranged from the music was repetitive, however each song was able to be different but also still reggae. This probably had more to do with musical tastes than anything else.
It was an enjoyable night for all. People felt comfortable enough to move around and see friend’s during the show, but everyone was respectful of the music and it was always easy to hear.
The opening band, Stars on the Ceiling, made up of Lamont Music School students, were a nice introduction to the main event.
A large group of people hung around afterward to visit with friends, buy and get the CD signed and help clean up. Overall, the concert, which was co-sponsered by Chabad of South Denver, DUPB and United for Israel was a smashing success and the music will not soon be forgotten.
