Shlomo Artzi in Caesarea June 11, 2011 Review

At 61, Shlomo Artzi is still one of Israel’s most popular concert draws. He continues to attract crowds of all ages as evidenced by the large number of teenagers and twenty- something year olds in attendance last Saturday night in Caesarea.

Having seen his shows on a number of previous occasions over the years, I would say that he seemed a bit tired. He looked like he had lost a step. But that did not seem to faze the sold out audience, most of whom stood, cheered and clapped for much of the show.

Artzi’s set list might read like an Israeli pop/rock greatest hits collection. With all of the success he has had over decades of performing, it is not surprising that he is able to turn the microphone over to the audience for almost any of the selected numbers.

His musical style is melodic pop/rock, somewhere between Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. On stage with a ten piece band, including a violinist, two sax players and a trumpet, Artzi leads a talented ensemble that covers a diverse range of musical styles. With a nod to The Boss himself, Artzi’s band started one song with riffs that were lifted right out of Rosalita. In another piece, Artzi actually began singing “Down to the River,” another Springsteen tune. He complemented the English language pieces with bits of “Hit the Road Jack,” “Twist Again” and “What a Wonderful World.” Though this all made for musical fun and energized the band, Artzi should probably stick to singing in Hebrew.

With an ego approaching the size of Bono’s, Artzi loves to wander into the audience, picking aspiring stars to sing along with him, while looking for an eligible young woman to accompany him up on stage for one of his trademark songs “Tirkod” (“Dance”). Strangely, he couldn’t seem to find the right dancer this evening and skipped this well -known highlight of his concerts.

Instead, a young couple came up to the stage together. The would-be groom handed a piece of paper to Artzi and dropped down to one knee. Artzi read out the lyrics to one of his songs “let’s get married, have a child and write a song…” The bride to be enthusiastically accepted and the two lovebirds were off to the races, as Shlomo Artzi quietly interrupted their passionate embrace to bless them in a fatherly sort of way.

Artzi spent much of the concert speaking through the songs, in modified rap style, rather than singing them. He passed the mike to the audience quite often, throughout the evening and they readily complied. But it almost seemed to be a measure taken by Artzi out of fatigue rather than the simple pleasure of hearing thousands of fans singing their hearts out to his music.

Towards the final third of the concert, the tempo picked up. The band was given a bit more of an opportunity to let loose and everything became more enjoyable. The song for Gilad Schalit, who has now been held hostage by Hamas for more than five years, was powerful. The hits that followed were energetically played and wildly received. The final two or three pieces were vintage Artzi, at his best.

Caesarea, the Roman amphitheatre used as one of Israel’s most popular concert venues, is a great place to see a concert. Right by the Mediterranean Sea, with a gentle breeze blowing, the forum delivers terrific acoustics when filled to capacity. The seats are all simply stone so those who remember bring cushions to ensure a minimum comfort level.

But Shlomo Artzi has performed better on many occasions in this very venue. Though much of the audience still seemed to love the 2 ½ hour show, those who have enjoyed some of Artzi’s other concerts must have been disappointed by the song selection (fewer hits than usual) and by Artzi’s general sluggishness, which came through in the muddled versions of some of his songs. There were still some flashes of greatness and the band was terrific. Even on an off night, Artzi still delivers fine entertainment to the consistently sold out audiences that he draws.

David Broza in Ra'anana Review

There are few musical experiences as satisfying as seeing a great entertainer in an intimate hall – with high quality acoustics. Last night we were privileged to attend a David Broza concert at the Ra’anana Music and Art Centre – along with about 250 other fans. It was a real treat.

Broza is a self-proclaimed troubadour. He combines folk music – often built around the lyrical poetry of others –sometimes very well-known poets – with Spanish guitar playing and middle-eastern rhythms. Having spent time living in Spain, Israel and the United States, Broza’s music combines a variety of influences.

The concert was a two hour collection of Broza’s greatest hits covering a span of more than 30 years. Broza was accompanied by three other musicians – a percussionist, a bass player and a second guitarist – the newest addition to his band. The four musicians were seated on stools strumming, plucking and swaying to the music – mostly smiling as they played through the carefully selected set list.

Watching Broza perform – you can’t help but feel the love of music that radiates from his guitar and his smile. With such a dominant Spanish influence – some songs have the energy and feel of the Gypsy Kings. For these up tempo numbers, the audience was clapping and tapping along – some even moved up to dance next to the stage.

Other pieces are well known in Israel – as sing along anthems –such as Mitachat l’Shamayim (Under the Skies). The whole crowd knows the words – and Broza adds the role of choir conductor to his repertoire.

The highlight of the evening was simply Broza’s masterful guitar playing. Whether it was the two newest songs that his band was performing – which are part of a CD that is about to be released – or the many classics that the group played through – they were all marked by infectious and exciting sounds of the Spanish guitar.

The finale – a second encore number- was Yihyeh Tov – “It will be alright” – a song dedicated to hope that there will be peace in the Middle East and that “we will all live together – as siblings.” Broza is quite active in the peace movement – working with organizations such as Combatants for Peace –that look for ways to build tolerance, understanding and friendship between Israelis and Palestinians.

Though I have seen Broza quite a number of times – in different cities – this type of venue was a wonderful showcase for his music. The sight lines were great – we were close to the stage – and the sound was crisp and clear.

Broza is currently touring similar sized venues throughout Israel after having recently completed a trip through parts of France. He will likely be back to North America – for his annual mini-concert series in late December in New York and Toronto.

His web site includes more detailed bio information – and other links.

Styx in Niagara Falls Review

Although Styx has been floating around in one form or another for more than 35 years (with some breaks), they still put on a great show. The current line up with Lawrence Gowan (of Criminal Mind fame) has been together for more than 12 years. Gowan is able to pull off strong versions of most of the Dennis De Young vocals - and plays some really terrific keyboad. For shows performed in his home country of Canada - he also gets a particularly rousing response when the band plays his signature solo song - Criminal Mind - which they always seem to do at their Canadian shows.

But the star of the show is clearly Tommy Shaw. Shaw joined the band in 1975 - after Styx released Equinox - and went on to write or participate in many of the band's greatest hits over the following decade. One of the many highlights of this show was Shaw speaking a little bit about how he came to join Styx - and then launching into a tremendous version of Crystal Ball. Over the course of the evening, Shaw played a different guitar for almost every song - and was full of energy - and a huge smile.

The show began promtly at 9 - with Styx launching into a meddley -which included short snippets from a range of different songs - from different albums - including teasers from Mr. Roboto and Paradise Theatre. After the meddley, it was an evening of greatest hits - Grand Illusion, Lady, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time on My Hands, Suite Madame Blue - and the list goes on. The harmonies were coordinated and smooth, the music was tight and technically accurate - and, as usual, Tommy Shaw, Gowan and James Young were all enjoying themselves - or doing a good job of looking like they were.

The Avalon Ballroom at Niagara is a great venue for concerts. With seating of approximately 1,500, there aren't too many bad seats in the house- which was completely sold out for the 3rd consecutive night.

This concert clocked in at just about 1 hour 40 minutes - including Come Sail Away - and the encore - Renegade. For a Styx concert, this seemed somewhat short. For this show, Styx cut out the acoustic set that they often perform - with Boat on a River, Lights and others. They also seemed a bit less inspired than usual performing Come Sail Away and even Renegade with a bit of a lower energy level than they often bring.

To counter that, they brought out a piece from Crystal Ball which they had never previosuly played live -and also brought out the original Styx bass player - who is unable to play the full concert for health reasons.

Towards the end of the show, many of the audience members - now in their 40s, 50s and even 60s "rushed" the stage and danced near the front - one enthusiastic member placing her underwear on Tommy Shaw's guitar. It was a bit strange to see some of these fans - who might have been 15 or so when they last rushed a Styx stage - running up to yell, wave and sing along with the big hits - but it certainly enhanced the level of excitement.

All in all, though a little bit short - the concert was fun, fast moving and enjoyable - with much of the credit going to Tommy Shaw - clearly the leader of the band - as well as master vocalist and guitar player. His upcoming tour with Jack Blades to promote the album "Influences 2" - should be quite memorable. For now, Styx won't disappoint its fans as it tours the United States - playing sets of greatest hits to nostalgic audiences - who are eager to remember the Best of Times.