Twelve years ago, I saw Shlomo Artzi in concert for the first time and was blown away. At the time I wrote that "I'm not sure I've ever seen an artist connect with his audience as well as Shlomo Artzi connected with the crowd in Ashdod". The connection was "almost telepathic", operating on a deeper, more personal, more empathetic level than just about any other artist I've seen -- in any country, singing in any language.
Remarkably, twelve years later, it's all still true. Artzi is nearing his 76th birthday and still commands the stage like no other. He can still unite multiple generations of Israelis, appeal to the secular and the religious, and create memorable moments through an almost unimaginable personal connection with an amphitheatre full of thousands. Coldplay go to great lengths to manufacture these connections with their fans through their goofy kiss cams and light-up bracelets and choreographed singalongs and B-stages and C-stages that bring them close to their audience. But it always comes across as nerdy millionaire pandering to the simple plebes. I can't even blame them -- bridging the divide between stage and audience is difficult, especially in a stadium. Not every performer strives for it, and that's OK too. Shlomo Artzi does it effortlessly, through his personal stories both sad and humorous, impassioned words about the soldiers and hostages, and through his impeccable timing and synchronization with his band, always knowing when to raise and lower the energy in the room.
He spoke about attending shivas for soldiers and about the hostages and said "I don't know what's happening right now in the USA -- probably many of you know better than me" -- a reference to the Trump-Netanyahu meetings taking place that day. It was an off-hand remark, meant to segue into a broader wish for peace. But inevitably, it led to a large number of people reaching for their mobile phones, hoping for a major news update. And moments later, a screenshot from the nightly news—viewed on a concertgoer’s phone—was projected onto the stage’s big screens, essentially a screenshot of a screenshot. The headline read "hostages to be returned in three days", an impassioned roar rose from the crowd, and Artzi abruptly stopped speaking and admired the photo. He may have mumbled something like "how about that ..." his words trailing off. Like I said, the man has impeccable timing. Time seemed to stand still for about half a minute. Even when Artzi is at a temporary loss of words, he can still forge a genuine connection.