Yoav @ Le National

Yoav Sadan, born in 1975 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Today he is known worldwide simply as Yoav. The name alone stands out from all the musicians and band names I have ever heard. A growing star, Yoav manages to not only maintain his personal identity, but he has uses his intriguing personality to appear to a worldwide audience. I have a personal connection to Yoav because he was born in Israel, which I will have the pleasure of visiting this summer. There is a strong connection between the meaning of Yoav’s name and his music; Yoav is Hebrew for “God is father” and from the moment Yoav got onstage, I felt the presence of spirituality and mysticism. I was convinced that the crowd would begin to levitate while he performed.

Wasting no time at all, Yoav appeared and immediately began playing his music. This was unlike any concert I have ever been to: Yoav began his concert by drumming on his guitar (Middle-Eastern hand drumming) and making incredible sounds. The crowd simply watched in astonishment as he pirouetted his fingers and palms, drumming on the guitar while playing.

This one-man-show managed to rattle the crowd to the point that individuals were getting out of their seats to stand, dance and feel the vibes radiating from the stage. Yoav continued to amaze the audience, playing songs from both his albums Charmed and Strange.

Making an effort to speak French, Yoav made very little conversation throughout the concert. I found this interesting because many bands and musicians make some sort of dialogue in between their songs. Yoav, being a one-man-band, had to work all the technicalities out himself. At one point he stated how it was hard to work everything at once. Yoav connected different wires to a vocal echoer, that recorded his voice and sounds on the spot and was played over and over during songs.

Throughout the concert, the audience supported Yoav during his in-between song delays. The crowd would yell things out at Yoav, which Yoav would respond back. One man said “I love that song,” and Yoav responded that the man had great taste in music. Though that may sound cliche or corny, that man probably went home and told all his friends that Yoav directly told him that he had great taste in music.

The only bad thing I have to say about the concert was that the lighting for this concert was terrible. There was a blinding light that flashed along with the beats. All the people who sat in the front row (including me) were blinded at times from this light and we had to somehow battle the rays of light.

All in all, Yoav definitely knew how to work the crowd. If he ever decides to become some sort of spiritual leader, I am sure many will flock to this mystical vibes.