Matisyahu & Radical Something
October 23, 2014
Club Nokia- Los Angeles, CA
It was a busy night at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles as the L.A. Kings (Hockey team) took on the Buffalo Sabres. As the sports fan made their way into the Staples center, music fans of all ages and ethnicities crowded into Club Nokia.
California’s own, Radical Something came out on stage around 8:45 and wasted no time going into their energetic, upbeat, alternative hip hop, reggae set, starting with Escape. The trio formed in 2011 and have released two albums and one EP. Their latest album, Ride It Out came out in 2013 and reached #1 on the Twitter Music Emerging Artist Chart and #3 on the iTunes Alternative Album Charts. The band heightened what is expected of a reggae set, and delivered their songs with so much energy, that everyone in the room was dancing along. Lead singer and guitarist, Alex Lagemann wasted no time getting up close and personal with his fans as he jumped off stage and stood on the barricade, high-fiving the audience. The band kept the energy up by performing California and Say Yes, both of which are includedon Hollister Co’s in-store playlist. The band performed several more songs, ending their set with Be Easy, leaving the crowd cheering for more. 
It was finally time for the headlining act, and the guy everyone was anxious to see, Matisyahu. This Jewish reggae, hip hop artist has been at it since 2004 and has released seven albums, his most recent, Akeda which came out in June of 2014 and featured a more stripped down Matisyahu; the album was in the iTunes Top 10 a week after the release. As the venue lights dimmed and the crowd erupted into cheers, the band members came on stage and took their rightful spots on stage. Following their musical intro, Matisyahu’s young son, about 3 years old came out on stage and started dancing to the music. The crowd awed at him and the towering Matisyahu came out on stage, with Star on the Rise. The New Yorker then congratulated the LA Kings for their victory and dedicated his song Champion to the team. Matisyahu was actually at the Kings game, which is most likely the reason his set time was pushed back. After, he went straight into the hit song King Without a Crown. Throughout his set, his son would come on and off the stage to dance along with his father who smiled at him and the audience as he rapped, beat-boxed and sang. His set went by at a blink of an eye and soon fans were cheering for an encore. Matisyahu obliged and came out to perform the last song, One Day which brings out the emotional side of many people. He stage dived into the crowd, stood atop of the fans and then fell into their arms as he rode the wave of fans.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
Matisyahu
Radical Something
