'Spaghetti straps and side curls': Ishay Ribo performs at sold-out Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK – Spaghetti straps and side curls. Spanish, French, English, and Hebrew. Texas, Toronto, and Tulum. Jews from every part of the Western hemisphere showed up Sunday night to see Israeli musical sensation Ishay Ribo’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.

When Ribo performed in New York in September 2023 for his first sold-out MSG show, his “Elul” concert was meant to bring the audience a sense of joy and spirit as they ceremoniously prayed to be inscribed in the book of life. This time, following a heavy year of war and loss, the show looked to heal and uplift.

Yael Schlenger of New Rochelle said she attended last year’s show, a short while before the October 7 massacre.“Ishay Ribo was like my therapy this whole year, so I am excited. But there’s also a deeper meaning to this whole night. I think it’s going to be very unifying,” she said.

Her sentiments echoed with others in the audience, who spoke of the strength they received from being surrounded by so many Jews of all walks of life in one huge room.

“I think the Jews have been going through a lot, and for a singer like Ishay Ribo to bring the non-religious and the ultra-Orthodox Jews together is truly beautiful,” said Daniel Chocron from Los Angeles. “I think there’s a lot of division among Jewish people, and I think a show like this unites us. When we have sinat chinam (baseless hate), bad things happen.”

Connecting with Israel

Ribo showed the faces of Israel’s current hostages on the screen, allowing each page to have substantial time so that people could focus. The artist honored the parents of Omer Neutra, an alumni of a Solomon Schechter school in Plainview, New York, who remains captive in Gaza today. His parents were highlighted on the screen, and a number of parents and students from the Williston Park branch came to support the family. There were a handful of soldiers in the audience as well as a delegation who had lost limbs and become disabled from their service.

Ribo told the audience that each person should work to fulfill their responsibility and that collectively it could bring redemption. The crowd loved it. He wrapped up the night by thanking his wife and telling fans how significant his music is to his well-being, calling songs his psychologist.

Ribo, singing his heart out and sometimes with playing guitar, performed for two hours, making his way through classics like “Lashuv Habayta”(Come Home), “Sibat Hasibot,” and “Lev Sheli” (My Heart). 

Ribo spoke to the crowd in Hebrew, which undoubtedly only part of the mixed audience of Jewish and Israeli fans understood. During these little chats, people laughed over his quips or shouted “Am Yisrael Chai” at times. Many just sat quietly waiting for the music to bring them clarity.

The two-hour show was a little too long for some in the audience. People with children started to excuse themselves, and one woman shouted out, “I have to go to work in the morning!”

A major highlight from the concert was Ribo’s light design, which did nothing less than dazzle. The projections on the elegant MSG screens showed everything from Hebrew letters dancing up and down the display to vibrant red flower beds to gorgeous stained glass windows reminiscent of the great Marc Chagall’s synagogue art. While most concerts include something to indulge the eye, this demonstration was truly a remarkable and substantial part of the show. 

And don’t forget the party favors. Each seat came equipped with two bracelets – one made of rubber and the other a ribbon with a small LED light attached to it, which automatically lit up with a different color for each song. Viewers were invited to wave their hands in the air and see the room turn into what looked like thousands of stars.

The band was a robust one. With a variety of instruments including drums, a pedal-steel guitar, and a variety of wind instruments (including a unique shofar solo), the music filled the arena and heart with soul. Ribo held hands with the entire band for a stage bow at the end of the program.

Joining Ribo on the hallowed stage for parts of the show were fellow Israeli performers Idan Raichel and Eviatar Banai.

As Raichel finished his two-song set near the end of the show, including one song with his signature piano playing, fans were delighted by an enchanting archival video clip showing Raichel inviting a young Ishay Ribo to his stage. In the clip, Raichel reminisces that when he heard Ribo’s lyrics for the first time, he felt they were so touching that he couldn’t believe they weren’t his own.

Ribo closed the show with a new song, introducing it in Hebrew, as if it were a newborn.

“We are big fans of Ishay Ribo, and now we are even bigger fans,” said Amit from Houston. “The whole experience of coming together, praying together, and the message of unity was very strong. It was a beautiful show, put together very well.”

Brooklyn native Yankee Pearson was at MSG just weeks prior to see the legendary Billy Joel perform his final residency at the Garden, playing out his 150th concert. He spoke with The Jerusalem Post about how this experience differed.

“As beautiful and impactful as that [Billy Joel] was, it wasn’t nearly as meaningful as what you see tonight. You see Am Yisrael Chai and the Israeli flag waving. It tugs at your heart.”