Austin360 blogs > ACL Festival > Archives > 2006 > September > 17 > Entry
Matisyahu (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. AT&T Stage)
The hottest person at ACL Fest — literally — had to be Matisyahu, who was in full Hasidic dress during his Sunday afternoon set. His ensemble included a long black coat, long-sleeved shirt under which he wore his tallit (prayer shawl), black hat under which he wore a yarmulke, and long beard and payess. But that religious attire didn’t slow him down for a minute. He was in full dance-hall mode, toasting as though he was born in Jamaica, not Pennsylvania, and bouncing around the stage in his Adidas shoes while begging the Lord for redemption with what seemed like more Marley-esque conviction than Bob Marley’s own kids.
What Matisyahu does is definitely unconventional, but it’s irie, mon. His intriguing lyrics and rapid-fire delivery on “Chop ‘Em Down,” “Close My Eyes,” “Exaltation” (from his hit album “Live at Stubb’s”), “Jerusalem” and other tunes didn’t seem to offend or convert anyone, but the groove – as delivered by a great band of young guys – had many of them moving. He also injected humor into “Indestructible,” singing about the Lord being “right inside of me … right inside of that British flag over there, right inside of that cowboy hat, right inside of those people sitting on top of the Porta Pottis.” But the showstopper came during “King Without a Crown,” when he danced the hora with another Hasidic pal; they leapt joyously right off the stage and into the audience, romping straight to the soundboard as the band whipped up a white-hot beat.
(photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: 2006 Reviews
Comments
By Ame Sans Vie
September 20, 2006 09:01 PM | Link to this
I found this act to be an extremely pleasant surprise as well while I was waiting for The Flaming Lips to hit the stage. The perfect opening act if you ask me!
By Dan
September 20, 2006 07:55 PM | Link to this
I caught Matisyahu at the Sasquatch Festival in May and enjoyed his passion and enthusiastic band, but I didn’t dig their ACL set. Maybe it was the sense that his Hassidic dress is just schtick, or that his band is just a bunch of white guys who wish their names had “Marley” in it. I left after “Chop ‘Em Down” and caught the second half of Ween’s set on the AMD stage, where I wish I had been in the first place.
By Dale
September 18, 2006 01:25 PM | Link to this
Great band. Don’t like rap or reggae, but I found myself enjoying the set. Unexpected surprise!