A rocking weekend in Tel Aviv

In an explosive concert that shook the heart of Tel Aviv, the legendary Iggy Pop and the Stooges brought punk rock alive for an exhilarated crowd at Tel Aviv's Exhibition Grounds Saturday night.

By CAMILLA M. BUTCHINS
Iggy pop 298 88 (photo credit: Richard E. Bernstein)
Iggy pop 298 88
(photo credit: Richard E. Bernstein)
Blonde Redhead Hangar 11, Tel Aviv July 5 A year after cancelling performances in Tel Aviv because of the Second Lebanon War, members of Indie trio Blonde Redhead filled Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv Port on Thursday night with a mind-blowing set of alternative, psychedelic melodies. With its unique fusion of haunting, lyrical vocals and high power distortion, the multi-talented ensemble performed a tight set mostly from its most recent album, 23, and from earlier collection Misery is a Butterfly, which first put the group in the Indie limelight. Fire and water in one, members of the group - the breathtaking Japanese-born Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboard and guitar) and Italian twins Amadeo Pace (vocals, guitar, bass) and Simon Pace (drums) - preferred to let the music do the talking before a hypnotized crowd, which stayed engrossed through two encores that kept the energy level rising. "We are sorry it took us so long to get to Israel," Kazu said in perfect Hebrew, drawing cheers from the audience. Ending with a lingering rendition of "Magic Mountain" from the group's last album, Blonde Redhead made this a night truly worth waiting for. Iggy Pop and The Stooges Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds July 7 In an explosive concert that shook the heart of Tel Aviv, the legendary Iggy Pop and the Stooges brought punk rock alive for an exhilarated crowd at Tel Aviv's Exhibition Grounds Saturday night. "We're so [expletive] happy to be here!" yelled the 60-year-old lead singer as he leapt on stage to ecstatic cheers. Kicking, jumping, roaring and growling, a topless and electrifying Iggy Pop blasted fans with songs spanning 40 years, including "1969" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" from the band's groundbreaking debut album, The Stooges; the anthem "Fun House;" and tracks from the group's 2007 release, The Weirdness. In a mind-blowing scene, the punk icon literally embraced the audience, bringing 50 elated fans on stage to dance and sing "No Fun" with him. He continued his down-to-earth performance style later in the show, diving into the crowd and handing his microphone to overwhelmed front-rowers. The undisputed influence of the Stooges on the heavy metal and blues scenes was experienced first hand through the reverberation of the amplifiers. Stooges Scott Asheton (drums), Ron Asheton (guitar), Mike Watt (bass) and Steve MacKay (saxophone) pulled off the high energy gig with ease, leaving the crowd chanting for more even as the drum sets were being dismantled.