Last Friday I went to the Matisyahu concert at the State Street Theater. I had never heard of this artist before and knew absolutely nothing about him so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I went. I didn’t really enjoy the opening act of the show so I didn’t have very high expectations for the main act.
Matisyahu arrived on stage to lots of cheers and applause from the audience. He had a very powerful voice, which I was surprised by but I liked it even though I couldn’t understand a lot of what he was saying. It was a very laid-back atmosphere and seemed more like a garage jam out session than an actual concert but I liked its relaxed feeling. He mostly let the band play and didn’t actually sing that much, but I was really amazed by the band and I thoroughly enjoyed their performance. After hearing the opening group I wasn’t sure that I would stay very long but I ended up staying for the rest of the concert because I liked the band so much. However, I will have to look into Matisyahu more to decide if I like his music as I didn’t hear much from him and I couldn’t understand a lot of his lyrics.
An interesting thing that happened was that there were people protesting outside the venue on Matisyahu’s behalf in support of his pro-Israel leanings. It was slightly uncomfortable as one of the women protesting shoved flyers into my hands and I remember thinking “why does everything have to be politicized?” This was a reminder of the very strong link between politics and art. Politics affect the world that artists experience which is reflected in their work. It’s really rare that one can enjoy a work of art without considering its political aspects. While I may not have agreed with the protestors, its important to acknowledge the political implications of art.
