The day after performing to a sellout audience at Tel Aviv Barby's Club on Tuesday night, British indie pop guitarist Passenger staged a free show at on a Tel Aviv pedestrian mall. Hundreds of fans turned out on the Nahalat Binyamin mall after the singer, whose real name is Michael Rosenberg, posted a Facebook message saying, “I am hoping to busk at 7 p.m. at the crossroads of Rambam St. and Nachalat Benjamin St. (hope that makes sense), see you soon.” Earlier he has posted, “Tel Aviv — last night was epic. Thank you so much for being so passionate and welcoming, it blew my mind!” The 30-year-old English folk-pop singer-songwriter catapulted from longtime scruffy subway busker to international sensation via the 2012 megahit 'Let Her Go' from his 2012 debut album All the Little Lights. But he has continued to perform on the streets, and recently presented impromptu shows throughout the UK to raise funds for The Big Issue UK charity which fights homelessness. “Someone once told me it's more important to be a nice person than a successful musician. It sounds cheesy but it's true and I try to remember that all the time,' Rosenberg told The Evening Standard during the tour. 'You can get carried away with things when people are telling you you're good at something. I was busking for five years and if that doesn't make you humble, nothing will. I was staying in hostels, on mates' couches, and slumming it for a good while. If you've been there, how could you possibly take this for granted?' The lucky fans who enjoyed his busking appearance in Tel Aviv will undoubtedly share that sentiment, and await for Passenger's next appearance in Israel.
