Israeli singer Asaf Avidan is passing through Montreal these days. So I was in no way surprised by the formal search (worthy of an airport!) that I had to undergo, like all the other spectators, to attend his show on Wednesday evening at the Olympia theater. Not the least bit surprised and even a little reassured, I admit (the world is so unstable). And what a memorable spectacle! Alone on stage for more than two hours, with a piano, three guitars and electronic gadgets that he handles with virtuosity, this “ self made poet” inspired by Leonard Cohen invites us to the mountain of emotions that inhabits him, with totally disarming humor and simplicity. Moreover, it is from the outset that he addresses – through a long plea – the question of his nationality and the “sadly binary” mode that politics imposes on our world (and which made him question the world tour that he chose to continue — despite the anxiety and his numerous insomnia — since the fateful day of October 7). A plea for human sensitivity and complexity, which go far beyond our differences and reminds us how we are all equal in the face of the range of emotions that pass through us. It is with these that he creates each of his songs, like a goldsmith. A series of small works of art which takes us ever further into his inner world, this world of infinite richness, this inexhaustible source of inspiration (according to his own words). Then, he closes this musical journey with another plea, this time on the misuse of the word “depression” to depict the times and the state of our world. Depression, he recalls, is when you are incapable of feeling anything. What we are all experiencing right now is not depression. It is distress, fear, anxiety, loneliness, injustice, sadness, anger and a terrible feeling of inequality. And it is precisely with these materials – sprinkled with light – that we receive this modern-day Brel directly to the plexus. With legitimate emotions that the artist knew how to channel.
To watch on video