Matisyahu!

As good as things have been, I'm a bit frazzled. I've had a headache for 3 days, I lost my keys (I think they got thrown away at the party), I've got an exam coming up I just can't study for... and on and on. So tonight was a welcome and very surprising break...

(Pictured: Me, Marsha, Rachel)
I went out just to meet up with Rachel B., my old roomie from Jerusalem and personal therapist. We had dinner with two of her stunning friends, Kristina and Marsha and then I walked them all over to the Matisyahu concert. I was bemoaning that I couldn't join them, that I would have to buy a ticket for the next concert, when a bright young man approached us with tickets to sell! So in I went for my first real American concert (I've seen Peter, Paul, and Mary as well as Simon and Garfunkel before)!

(Pictured: Matisyahu meeting his fans)
It was everything I'd feared it would be, but so much more manageable then I had thought. We were in the standing area so it was packed with 14 year old boys stoned and drunk and every now and again they tried to crowd surf and always went smashing to the ground. The ground was sticky and I got splashed with beer. It was crowded and sweaty and people were pushing and shoving. And then, the concert got started! First off were a bunch of political rappers, which didn't go very far with the crowd. Meanwhile, some guy Chris, the social butterfly of the concert who wanted to know every one's name, proposed to Rachel and kept saying he would wait for her, forever!

When Matisyahu came out it was fantastic energy. This big guy, fittingly named Bear, felt bad that I couldn't see and hoisted me up on one of his shoulders. Once I got down, the concert went great. Rachel and her girls, loooong time fans of Matisyahu even got a wave and a wink from him. It was intense and fun and something I would otherwise never have done. Matisyahu, for those not in the know, is a Hassidic Orthodox Jew (a Jewy Jew Jew) who sings song of praise to reggae tunes. There is such a disconnect between his look and his sound, I love it. I highly recommend that anyone and everyone check him out! At the end of the concert he lit the menorah (second night of Hannukah!).
(Pictured: Matisyahu, the Messiah? He does have a nice menorah)

Third night of Hannukah:
PS~ I just ran into Mark Zemel from EIE, haven't seen him in easily 5 years. What's with the reemergence of EIE? Is this some form of omen? I'm enjoying it!