Emma Shapplin crashes and burns in Haifa
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Music, Pop Culture
Usually, when touring musical acts make their way to Israel, they rise to the occasion and put on a stellar show. Just look at Paul McCartney, Faith No More, Leonard Cohen – despite the lofty price tags, they delivered with consumately professional concerts that left audiences thrilled.
But there’s another kind of concert thrill – the train wreck. Even more surprising is the train conductor in this case – French pop soprano Emma Shapplin, who launched a world tour last week with two shows, in Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Now we’re not talking about someone who you’d expect to be erratic, like grungy Pete Doherty. Shapplin has a distinguished track record of dazzling performances featuring spine-tingling vocals. Her 2003 show in Caesarea was so outstanding that she released it as a live album and DVD.
However, she’s had a few years between albums, and when I talked to her a few weeks ago, she seemed somewhat hesitant about rushing out to perform her new album Macadam Flower ahead of time.
“When we received the offer to do these two shows, I thought, ‘well, it’s a bit premature. The album isn’t finished yet, we haven’t started rehearsing,’” she said.
It turns out that Shapplin’s apprehensions were well justified. According to a review in The Jerusalem Post of the first night’s show by my colleague, Amanda Borschel-Dan, Shappelin was like a deer in the headlights.
Aside from obvious technical difficulties with microphones, etc., Shapplin was confused, forgetting words and musical phrases, once to the point of restarting a number twice and waving away the accompanist who was playing “a different arrangement… why did Shapplin decide to perform a series of classical soprano arias when she was obviously under-prepared?
While the concert-goers were justifiably unsatisfied with the performance, I found myself thinking that it was refreshing to see someone screw up in public. We’re so conditioned to perfection that any blemishes are considered to be horrible miscues and an affront to art. On the contrary, false starts, flubbed cues, and unreached notes are performance art at its most riveting.
Shapplin may have had an off night, or maybe she’s fallen off of her pedestal and is just showing her humanity. Rather than booing her, audiences should be embracing her flaws as well as her talent.
Spending the High Holidays with Madonna
Filed under: General, Holidays, Life, Music, Pop Culture, Religion
Madonna in her 'Sweet and Sticky' tour - on the way to Tel Aviv?
Of course neither her web site nor the touring industry site Pollstar mention anything beyond the August 29th final performance in Bulgaria. But considering that Madonna’s spent the holiday periods in both 2004 and 2007 in Israel with other students of Kabalah, it sort of makes sense.
According to the report, Madonna had attempted to perform here many times in recent years, but no promotor could cough up her hefty fee. And even this time, promoters Shuki Weiss and German producer Marek Lieberberg are still looking for commercial sponsors, like telecommunication giant Orange, to help defray the costs,
It’s a far cry from the relative ease it took to bring Madonna to Tel Aviv in October 1993 for The Girlie Tour. Of course, then it was a huge undertaking, with giant screens, and an elaborate Broadway-style stage show – I don’t think Hayarkon Park saw quite another extravaganza like it until Paul McCartney arrived last year. Not being a Madonna fan, I can say it was one of the most impressive shows I’ve ever seen, and left me with a new found and lasting respect for her talents.
So, whether she chooses to head of to Safed for some meditation, or hang out by the Tel Aviv shore, I’m one of those who are hoping the rumors are true, and that Madonna’s on her way back.
Springsteen – Born to play in Tel Aviv
It’s Super Sunday here, just like in the US. Except that ours lasts all the way to 5:00 am, when the Super Bowl is likely to wind down.
This year I have no vested interest in either the Steelers nor the Cardinals, and would not even consider staying up all night, if it weren’t for the half time entertainment. How many times do you get to see Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform live, albeit for only 12 minutes?
Apparently, it’s the only way Israelis are going to see them live. Each time a new tour is announced – and the past few years with Springsteen’s prolific resurgence, he’s been on tour all the time – I anxiouxly wait to see the European itinerary hoping that Tel Aviv will finally be listed. The dates for his 2009 tour in support of his new album Working on a Dream have just been announced, and again we’ve been snubbed, with Bruce preferring the tried and true European venues he’s familiar with like Copenhagen and Barcelona.
Granted, the Boss’s Israel connections are a little tenuous. But let’s not forget that an Israeli – violinist Suki Lahav - played on Born to Run’s “Jungleland” back in 1975. And hey – isn’t “The Promised Land” about us? And as my friend Arthur once wrote, seeing Bruce play the song in Sultan’s Pool overlooking the Old City in Jerusalem would probably be one of the most transcendent moments of any concert anywhere.
But to get down to it, the real reason that Springsteen should come here is simple – I haven’t seen him perform since moving to Israel in the mid-80s. After seeing Springsteen a half dozen times in the late 1970s, I’ve been spoiled for life, and no other concert I’ve seen since has compared.
So, c’mon Bruce – hop inside, you know just what we’re here for. Talk to your pals Bono and Paul McCartney, I think they were pretty impressed with Park Hayarkon as a venue and the the enthusiasm of the Israeli audiences. We can take you and Patti out for some humous in Tel Aviv, you can go entertain some Palestinian children like Sir Paul did, and we can even import some of Clarence’s favorite chicken for after the show.
In the meantime, chances are I’ll doze through the first half of the Super Bowl tonight in order to stand at attention for 12 minutes during halftime for the greatest show on earth.
Jazzy Jay and other esoteria
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Music, Pop Culture
Just because the Israeli concert-going market can’t support more than one or two performances from A-list-ers like Paul McCartney each summer, doesn’t mean that we need to deal with washed-up international talents like Deep Purple the rest of the time.
The best of the not-quite-mainstream pop talent whose art is uncompromised, esoteric and less disposable have been entertaining us here more and more often, whether it’s Devendra Bernhardt, Low, Blonde Redhead, Lee “Scratch” Perry or Morrissey. Thankfully, more and more performers along these lines have been making their way to Israeli stages in recent years.
And despite the ongoing violence in the south of the country in recent weeks, the show must go on. No notices announcing a cancellation of this Friday’s Urbanology Festival have reached this cultural correspondent’s desk so far, which means that old-school talent DJ Jazzy Jay is still expected to hit the decks this weekend at the Cult Club at Herzl St. 154, Tel Aviv (tickets available at 057-777-4422).
Jazzy Jay is one of the founding fathers of hip hop. A scratch turntablism pioneer, he spun at street parties in the Bronx in the late Seventies and in downtown Manhattan clubs in the early Eighties. Part of Afrika Bambaataa’s Universal Zulu Nation collective, Jay was also a co-founder of the influential Def Jam Recordings. His “It’s Yours” single was the label’s first-ever release, and he helped broker the partnership between notorious trailblazing rap moguls Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. His own Jazzy Jay’s Studio was an early home to luminaries like A Tribe Called Quest Brand Nubian.
Jay comes to Israel for the Cult Club’s Urbanology party, branded as a celebration of everything associated with old-school hip hop culture – rap, breakdancing, graffiti and more. Events like these have been taking place at venues across Israel for years, but none with a marquee performer of this stature. Other participants include local talents like the disco funk-fixated DJ Alarm, DJ Mesh, local old-schoolers Quami and Kottage, the Tachlis Band and alt-rappers Peled and Ortega.
Third place for Shiri
The buzz over Shiri Maimon’s live performance Thursday at the 2008 MTV European Awards was formidable indeed, and the attractive singer didn’t disappoint her Israeli fan base. She might have taken fourth place at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, but when all of the votes were tallied, she beat that mark by earning third place at the MTV awards in the “Europe’s Favorite Act” category (Turkey’s Emre Aydin took home the statuette).
At this rate, Maimon should win second place in the 2011 Soul Train Awards, paving the way for a 2014 Grammy.
The entire studio version of “Now That You’re Gone,” Maimon’s latest hit single in English, and the song she performed on MTV Europe, can be heard here.
Perhaps the 2008 MTV European Awards weren’t quite ready for Maimon, as the scale of the proceedings seems to have been more global than local, according to YNet’s coverage:
Former Beatle Paul McCartney stole the show at the ceremony, as he was named Ultimate Legend. The other big winner was Britney Spears, who won Act of 2008 and Album of the Year. She did not attend the event.
McCartney was one of several stars on the night to pay tribute to Barack Obama following his victory in the US presidential election this week.
In fact, being a down-home local girl thrust into the glitzy world of international power is exactly what was on Maimon’s mind leading up to the performance. In an interview with Ma’ariv La’noar, the singer defended herself against accusations that she had turned into a spoiled superstar, claiming that the Israeli market is simply too small to be able to support the whims of a real diva. To back up her claims, Maimon cited rumors that Mariah Carey demands 6000 flowers decorate her every dressing room.
Some day, you too shall merit such treatment, Shiri.
Parents’ Day
Filed under: Crime, General, Israeliness, Life, coexistence
I love field trips. But I had never been on one before in a police van led by cop packing an impressive looking piece.
No, the authorities hadn’t finally caught on to me and sent me up the river. It was part of ‘Parents Day’ in the Israel Police department for families with children serving their army duty in the police.
For someone who’s always kept their distance from authority, I felt pretty comfortable as my wife and about 12 other adults joined my daughters commanders for a half day tour of the area they patrol on a day-in day-out basis.
This was a part of Israel we don’t usually get to see… the Shai district, which runs from the Shomron settlement of Eli to the Jerusalem area settlements of Adam and Anatot around to the east and the Modi’in-area settlement of Nili, Kiryat Sefer and others. The operative word, I guess, is settlements.
As parents, we tend to pack away in the backs of our minds the fact that our daughter is driving around 12 hours a day arbitrating olive picking disputes between Arabs and Jews, removing settlers from illegal outposts, arresting husbands who are abusing their wives or children, controlling traffic after an auto accident, confiscating knives, drugs and other contraband from cars stopped at roadblocks… and doing it all on roads and neighborhoods which are high risk anyway for rock throwing attacks and even worse.
We received some insight into the complexities and nuances of keeping the peace in an area where there’s constant conflict, where nobody really knows who owns those olive groves, where a caravan can be put up illegally but the police are powerless to dismantle it, unless the political echelon gives the ok.
We visited Eli – amazing view and weather, the archeological site of Tel Shilo, the oldest settlement in Shomron, Ofra, and Amona, the site of a violent scene two years ago when police tore down permanent buildings built there illegally. Those same settlers who were fighting the police then are the same ones who receive full service the next day when their car is stolen by someone in the Palestinian village next door.
We ended up in the police district headquarters at Beit El, where we were greeted by our children in uniform and treated to a luncheon feast.
When our daughter’s commander walked toward me at one point with a purposeful look, my heart started beating and the first words that came to mind were going to be ‘but it was for medicinal purposes only’. But he only wanted to talk about seeing Paul McCartney last month and compare notes.
I was a little disappointed because when we were stuck in a traffic jam just past the Hizme checkpoint heading out of Jerusalem into the territories, the driver didn’t just put the siren on and pass all the cars at a high speed. That would have been cool.
But the police seemed pleased with how their first Parents Day turned out, and they plan to do it again. The commander left us with some good advice. Make sure to give your daughter or son a hug or a pat on the back once in a while, because they’re doing an amazing job at trying to keep our country safe. I know I’ll be doing that a lot from now on.
Time for Mincha, Paul
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture, Religion
Paul McCartney’s played all around the world, with The Beatles, with Wings, and on his own. I’m sure he’s encountered some strange sights and situations (among them spending a few days in a Japanese jail for pot possession), but his historic performance Thursday night in Israel likely presented a first at a McCartney show – its very own Chabad mitzvah booth.
As the near 50,000 concertgoers of all ages rambled through the grassy Ganei Yehoshua on the way to the show, they passed the usual beer and hot dog vendors, and McCartney memorabilia like ‘Paul in Israel’ t-shirt and button hawkers. But, right in line with the path was a booth set up by Chabad, offering literature, the mitzvah of laying tefillin, and some good yiddishkeit.
I didn’t see many takers in the brief moments I was in view of the booth, as it seemed that most fans were eager to stake their claim on a piece of earth as close to the stage as possible. But the Chabad guys were in good cheer, singing songs (not Beatles) and joining in the revelry.
The audience at the concert was a typically mixed cross section of the usual concert-going teens and 20-somethings, a good representation of parents with young kids, and a lot of aging baby boomers like me. There were plenty kippas generously sprinkled throughout the audience, and all in all, it was a mellow crowd.
A friend who I ran into at the show commented that Israeli rock audiences are so different from American ones, where ‘getting wasted’ is almost part of the DNA for concert-goers. Here, it was a family atmosphere, with the occasional waft of marijuana smoke in the air being the exception and not the norm.
Much ado was made about the NIS 5,000 VIP seating, and the less expensive but still expensive reserved seating area. I didn’t sit in either one, but my impression is that the reserved seating folks, who forked over NIS 1,500 for their seats got the short end of the stick.Their ‘seats’ were the equivalent of the bleachers in a baseball games, pretty far back, and somewhat detached from the excitement of the show.
The VIP stands were a bit closer, but those people were probably in a stupor the whole show from the gourmet buffet and open bar they enjoyed in the huge food tent built just for them on the side. That might explain why it looked like they were sitting throughout the show, while the plebes on the grass were up and dancing and moving the whole time.
When I floated out of the show after over two hours of Beatles magic, the Chabad booth had been dismantled and the staff long gone. Maybe they thought Paul was singing about that other ‘Mary’ when he sang ‘Mother Mary’ in “Let it Be” and not his own mother. Or maybe they just couldn’t compete with the near religious experience that so many people seemed to have at the concert.
Jpost McCartney coverage is pretty McAwesome
So as I write this over 50,000 people have decent upon HaYarkon Park to hear Paul McCartney perform. I love the Beatles as much as the next guy, I really wish I was there, but alas, I could not justify the absurdly high ticket price. Am I regretting the decision? Yeah, a bit. The 490 NIS (roughly $150) won’t mean anything a year from now but there are still lighting fixtures that need to be installed in our apartment, a mini-fake kitchen I need to build for my daughter, a garden that needs to be tended, etc. You get the idea. There won’t ever be another band like the Beatles, and I won’t be able to tell my kids one day that I saw one of the Beatles perform. Though I did see Brian Wilson perform Pet Sounds in London a few years ago and that was pretty spectacular. So at least I got to see one music legend in my life.
Coverage of this show has been out of control. I think McCartney is getting more coverage than the Pope’s visit to Israel back in 2000.
The Jerusalem Post’s coverage has been enjoyable. It’s had a real giddy tone to it. Editor in chief David Horowitz interview with McCartney was obviously a personal career highlight for him and his uber-excited tone and enthusiasm jumps right off the page. A few of the recent headlines:
• Analyze This: How McCartney could rock Ahmadinejad’s world (actually an excellent opinion piece)
• McCartney’s concert kicks off in TA
My fellow Israelity blogger David even dared to bring up the old myth of Paul McCartney’s death and replacement with an impostor (Paul rebuffed this in yesterday’s press conference, which certainly made David’s day).
Waiting for Paul
When I arrived at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning, I didn’t expect to see hordes of teenage girls outside waving banners saying “I Luv Paul”. But I did think there would be some indication that the most successful musician of all time – former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney – was upstairs in the hotel’s 5th floor Presidential suite, possible in golden slumber.
Aside from the usually posted guard asking me who I was going to see (“meeting a friend staying at the hotel, sir”), there didn’t seem to be any extra security, as I sidled in, and scoped out the scene. I knew there was supposed to be a photo opportunity with Paul at 11:30, to which all journalists had been disinivited. There weren’t going to be any questions allowed, and all the photographers had been told not to say anything to the man.
But since I had to be in Tel Aviv anyway, I decided to crash the party and catch my first glimpse of a Beatle in the flesh (assuming that Paul didn’t die in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike imposter).
I easily found the corner of the hotel set aside for the photo op, because there were a lot of poorly dressed guys (about 30) with big cameras and loud voices hanging out. I had the camera in my Samsung cell phone, and I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, so I fit right in.
Fortunately, there were a couple other crashers who I knew – Israel Radio’s music correspondent Benny Dudkevitch, who knows more about pop music than most humans, Yoav Kutner, the country’s pre-eminent Beatle expert and music director of Radio Tel Aviv, and rock singer Danny Robas, who has a second career performing Beatles music. Like me, they just wanted to see Paul, and soak in the fact that, for the first time, a Beatle was in Israel and playing a show (Thurs. night at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv). We traded some stories, rumors and excitement.
Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, Paul didn’t show, and they kept delaying his arrival from his suite. Another 20 minutes, than an hour delay, and then the Israeli PR people were afraid to return and give an ETA fearing the, by now, ornery photographers would start using their cameras as weapons. These guys aren’t the most polite bunch to begin with, and their comments about McCartney can’t be repeated here.
Pitchers of juice and trays of apple strudel courtesy of the hotel did little to ease their moods, and when McCartney finally descended almost three and a half hours after schedule, there was no reason to caution them again not to talk to him. They would have spurned him anyway.
Like a surreal silent movie, they snapped away, Paul stayed silent, except mumbling something about a story I had written in that day’s Jerusalem Post about the ‘Paul is dead’ myth, and then he walked away surrounded by flunkies and bodyguards.
I took a couple pix with my cell phone, but mostly I just did what I had intended to do – looked at Paul, remembered seeing him on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and watching the Beatles through all their developmental phases which helped form who I am, and affected the music I still listen to.
He left the hotel, and finally, I saw a dozen or so fans surround him. He politely signed autographs before getting into a car and taking off for a tour of Bethlehem. Fans surrounded the car, a couple banging on the hood and windows and saying “I Love You Paul.”
It was reassuring to discover that Beatlemania in Israel still exists.
Paul says ‘Shalom’
With the upcoming show in Tel Aviv by Paul McCartney only a little more than a week away, the promoters must be getting a bit antsy.
The weekend papers were filled with full-page ads for the “Friendship First” concert, and ticket sales have reportedly peaked around the 30,000 mark – quite impressive but considerably less than the sellout mark of 40,000.
And only yesterday, an extreme Islamic leader in Lebanon threatened Macca’s life if he goes on with the vast outdoor concert slated for September 25 in Hayarkon Park. In an interview with the Sunday Express in London, Omar Bakri Muhammad slammed the former Beatle for coming to Israel and warned, “If he values his life Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.”
According to Ynet, the Syrian born speaker identifies with al-Qaida, was excommunicated from the UK and now operates out of Lebanon, where he broadcasts hate-filled sermons over the Internet.
McCartney, to his credit, has refused to back down. “I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here. I refused. I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel,” McCartney told Israeli reporters.
And not only that, he’s made an only semi-embarrassing video to encourage people to attend the show. If you want to see a 66-year-old man still pretend he’s Hard Day’s Night cute and relevant, click below…
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