Mastisyahu (12/1) Review

This show could have been called "Matisyahu and friends" because it seemed like one big party on the Webster stage Tuesday night.

The Jewish reggae artist, who is known for his uplifting songs about unity and peace, put on an awesome concert, showing off his rapping and beat-boxing skills. An added bonus: During his performance, he let a bunch of guest rappers came on stage to show off their own lyrical skills, some even pandering to the audience by mentioning the Hartford Whalers and UConn Huskies. I couldn't really keep track of them, but they were all pretty cool, and they came in during a lot of good, fun, upbeat songs.

The opening band, Soja, was also good with the same funky reggae feel - and they got even better after they offered their CD to everyone in the audience for however much we wanted to pay for it. I paid $5.

The lead singer from Soja even came onto stage with Matisyahu to do a Bob Marley song together.


(Yes, I took these photos with my cell phone.)

Matisyahu fake ended with a long, really emotional version of "One Day," but then came back for a kind of weird encore. It was exciting at first that everyone came back, but then it turned into a long jam session. Then some guys left the stage while others kept playing. Then the last two guys left, and it just sort of ended. I think the people who stayed were waiting for a big finale, maybe a real song, but they didn't get it. I think the Webster was even confused because it took a little while for the lights to go off.

On the brighter side, Matisyahu's friends were wayy cooler than Arlo Guthrie's family.

10/22 My 6th Hanson Show

To come clean and fully showcase any biases I may have, Hanson is my all-time favorite band. I've now seen them six times in concert, and this past one was just as good as any other time, which means that it was amazing.

The only bad part was that it was at the Webster Theater in Hartford. I used to like the place in high school, but since then, it's just been an awful venue. There's not enough close parking. The staff has no idea how to communicate with each other. Once I got into the main venue, I saw some friends on the other side of the little connector between the main theater and the Webster Underground. Once I went over to talk to them, the Webster staff closed the garage door, thus leaving me unable to get back to the main theater. For about a half hour, I went back and forth between two staff members - one saying the door was open and I could go through, and one saying that I could go outside and back around to the other entrance to the theater. Both of them said that if I did it the other way, I wouldn't be let in. I had to get an extra wristband to handle all this, and it was just ridiculous.

Just like every other Hanson show I've been to at the Webster, I was frustrated before the show started - last year, it had to do with being stacked like sardines in the Underground area because we were supposed to be let in first because we did "The Walk" around Hartford with Hanson, but that's a long story - but I felt much better by the time Hanson started playing. Basically, they play all of my favorite songs from the time I was 10 and listening to "Middle of Nowhere" on loop. They always play "Where's the Love," and everyone always does the little arm-twirling movement above their heads. They always play "Mmmbop," but they never sound quite as happy playing that. My favorite favorite song from "Middle of Nowhere" is "Minute Without You," and I've only seen them play this song like three times in concert, so that was the highlight of my night.

While the old stuff is what Hanson is mostly known for, that's not all they do. They've had a few new albums, including the latest, "The Walk," and the music has a much more mature, rock feel to it. They played a lot from "The Walk," and at the end, after the obligatory encore, which included "Hey," the entire audience joined in singing "Happy Birthday" to Zac, who turned 23. Basically, the show was a good time, and as it usually feels like a big reunion nostalgia party, this one really was a party for Zac's birthday. He and Taylor just threw cake at each other at the end, it was wacky, and lovable, and just Hanson.