review by: Avi Shaked

In the Jewish religion, the Bar-Mitzva is a milestone in every man's life. Celebrated when a boy reaches the age of 13, it is a maturation event that marks his arriving of age to follow god's commandments as an inseparable, lifelong duty.

Orphaned Land's Bar Mitzva performance at the Shuni Roman Amphitheatre was indeed a celebration. Unlike previous Orphaned Land concerts, this one was held under the open sky, and this truly served as a breath of fresh air.

It hasn't been a long time since I last reviewed an Orphaned Land concert (in issue #24), and so this review is meant as a complement to the previous, focusing on what has changed – as the atmosphere definitely did not.

First of all, I am happy to announce Orphaned Land concerts aren't as rare as they used to be. This one followed an acclaimed performance in Turkey as well as a rather disappointing performance, celebrating a decade to their first release, Sahara, at the Israeli Metalist Festival (which was rather disappointing in itself); but regardless of the mixed quality of their previous performances, it is good to see Orphaned Land are acquiring a much needed live experience, and it definitely shows in their stage presence.

The evening consisted of two sets. The first one was a highly demanded acoustic set, covering classics as well as new Mabool material that has been given the acoustic treatment for the first time on stage. I can only pray that Orphaned Land will continue to perform acoustically on a regular basis, though integration of acoustic numbers with the electric set to form a full live experience would present Orphaned Land more seamlessly.

The second, electric set was surprising in its details, with Eden Rabin in charge of the orchestration, as well as the enchanting keyboard work; and with Yatziv Caspi supplying brilliant percussion.

Orphaned Land never rest on their laurels, and they keep offering special treats on just about every concert – this time it was the energetic and rare performance of "Above You All," taken from their early demo recording. It suited this celebration of 13 years of existence, featuring a band member from the early days making a guest vocal appearance.

But while the sound quality and acoustics was better than on previous concerts, the mix was unstable. There's no doubt that the band should take some drastic measures regarding their live sound, as in the end, it is the most dominant ingredient that detracts from the perfection of the experience.

Another disappointment was the absence of an encore. Orphaned Land just went off stage, and that's it. But what was even more disappointing was that the crowd did not beg for more. It was an awkward situation.

All in all, the increasing amount of touring and especially their performance at Shuni, indicate that Orphaned Land is truly growing up; it still has a way to go before reaching full maturity, but if this purpose will be taken seriously, there's no reason it won't arrive much sooner than the legal age of 18.