Photos by Kelsey Winterkorn

Matisyahu
Regency Ballroom
San Francisco, CA
August 2

Matisyahu took the country by storm back in 2006 when he put out the live version of the song; “King Without A Crown” (this single has sold nearly 700,000 copies in the United States). Five years later, Matisyahu has been touring across the globe in support of his latest album Live at Stubb’s Vol. 2. Currently on a U.S. tour, he rocked the SF Regency Ballroom.

The venue is engaging; with a horseshoe shaped balcony that wraps around the entire room while the stage platform sits high, giving an excellent view no matter where you stand. The crowd’s anticipation was impressive, with much chanting and clapping in unison, breaking into all-out screams when Matisyahu strolled into view, sporting a Yankees cap.

Matisyahu’s band: Brooklyn’s acclaimed Dub Trio, includes guitarist D.P. Holmes, bassist Stu Brooks, and drummer Joe Tomino. Together they delve into reggae and rap sounds with some jam interludes between his lyrics that reach deep into the realm of spiritually. All of this. Of course, is quite fitting for a pious Hasidic Jewish artist with a name that means the gift of god in Hebrew.

His stage energy was high, jumping and bouncing all over – even a fit of head-banging which tossed his hat off to expose his Kippah. Near the end of the show Matisyahu leapt into the crowd to surf three times. His skillful signature beat-boxing wove between fast raps and his very powerful singing voice filled the room. Many of his choruses seemed like chants, entrancing the crowd. Midway through the set, Matisyahu brought back the opener, Trevor Hall, to help do a great cover of Bob Marley’s “I’m a Rebel.” This blonde dreadhead can really belt it out and had quite a following in the crowd. Electronic dub sounds started to stream into the music via the bassist on a small midi board, picking up the crowd’s energy higher, bursting into dance.

At the show’s end, the crowd gave a thunderous call for an encore, and he did not keep them waiting long. He ran back on stage to end the show with his most important messages within the song, “One Day,” bringing a grand closure to his set. I feel very connected to his lyrics that ring with ideas of striving for a more peaceful way of life and hope for the future. The crowd swayed like a choir, as he started pulling the audience on stage to join in singing. It seemed a gesture of humility and inclusion, with more than a hundred people packing the stage.