Matisyahu Live from the Vancouver Olympics

One of the great things about the Olympics being in the city where I live is the free concerts.  Every night there's a staggering amount of free shows all over Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Whistler and West Vancouver.  It's difficult to decide which show to see some nights.  The shows average 45-60 minutes, which isn't bad for a free show.  For me, it's a great chance to check out some artists that I might now have otherwise gone to see.

The night of the Matisyahu show we arrived around 7:30 for the 10pm show.  The line was almost two blocks long at this point.  I should also mention that there are 3-4 bands playing in a row each night, with the 10:00 being the last.  After waiting an hour and a half in the Vancouver rain, we were ushered through the security checks and finally into the space where the outdoor show was about to start.  Mental note:  arrive before 7pm to avoid the lines!  No matter, the vibe inside was amazing.  Everyone seemed to be smiling and excited for the upcoming show.

I've always liked Matisyahu, but I've never seen him live.  It was definitely an great experience.  The rebbe certainly puts on a great show.  One of the things that really struck me was how genuinely happy he seemed to be here.  With a smile that stretched from ear to ear between songs, he seemed to warm up the cold, soggy crowd with energy alone.  It's always nice to get warm fuzzies from a show.

The live songs were definitely a more stripped down version of the songs on his albums.  The sound was much more raw.  For me, that added to the experience.  Matisyahu's songs are largely about faith and love and hope.  All of these things are greatly lacking in the world these days and it seems quite fitting to be hearing during a world event like this.

NBC has been using Matisyahu's "One Day" as a backdrop to many of its advertising before and during the games.  Such a beautiful message to send.  I hope it brings more people to his music.  I know that I, for one, bought his new album the day after the show and now I can't stop listening to it.  It's just been on repeat on my iPod.

One of the coolest parts of the show was Matisyahu beat boxing.  Thankfully for you guys, someone recorded it and tossed it up on YouTube.  Check it out.  :)