Although the ability of anyone to walk on water remains eternally in dispute, a
miracle of sorts did take place on Tuesday night at the Zappa Shuni Amphitheater
in Binyamina. In the middle of power ballad “Weak As I Am,” fiery Skunk Anansie
vocalist Skin took a proverbial leap of faith and literally walked out into the
audience atop the outstretched arms of fans who formed an impressively stable
human floor.
It was only one of several peaks in the high-energy,
two-hour, 20-song sold-out show, the first of two concerts the British agit-punk
quartet gave in Israel this week, and their first appearance here since their
late 1990s heyday. Most of the crowd must have been in grade school back then,
but they enthusiastically sang along with all of the fist-pumping anthems the
band threw their way.
And surprisingly, guitarist Ace, bassist Cass,
drummer Mark Richardson and the striking Skin, although now in their early 40s,
are probably more synched, powerful and riveting to watch than they have ever
been.
Whether spewing the impassioned rants of “Political” and “This is
Not A Game” – which was preceded by an introduction from Skin in which she said
that apparently, the band’s decision to perform in Israel had turned into
something “f*** political” – or displaying their pop versatility with their
biggest ‘90s hit, “Secretly,” and the delicate “Follow Me Down,” the band
interacted like a well-meshed machine infuse with spirit.
They even
proved they were human, with bassist Cass momentarily forgetting his lines to
the first of the band’s three encore songs, “Tear The Place Up.” His mates
cracked up – and then they tore up the joint. For the final song, “Little Baby
Swastikka,” another ‘90s favorite, Skin prodded the audience down at the front
to kneel down, and she walked through the crowd as they made a path for her, and
the venue’s security guards panicked. With a friendly glare, she turned back to
guards and said, “You don’t need to come, they’ll [the audience] take care of
me.”
And they did, near the song’s end lifting her above their heads and
wave after wave, sending Skin back to the stage. It was the ultimate display of
the bond between performer and audience, and on this triumphant night, Skunk
Anansie displayed how easy it is to break down the barrier that separates the
two.
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