A decade ago, a young and promising singer burst into our lives, conquering the country with his sock hat.
At 16 I first heard his songs, and I admit, I didn’t connect at first.
Two years later I met Goshen in person and was exposed to who he is and his personality, and since then I have also fallen in love with his songs.
I spent a lot of his shows, but the show of the decade, which took place yesterday (Wednesday) at Live Park in Rishon Lezion, as part of the Rishon Lezion Festival, surpassed everyone and put them in the little pocket.
Goshen's energies and connection with the audience, the friends who joined, and his vocals that only get better over the years, overcame the voice.
Goshen took the stage looking thin and pale, signs of coronary heart disease from which he recovered only a few days ago.
The show started at a gentle and hesitant pace, and it seemed that he had not yet returned to us, but very quickly the fears were dispelled, and he swept the audience with his energies and burned the stage.
Swept the crowd.
Goshen in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photo: Orit Pnini
The audience got a glimpse into all of Goshen's complex inner worlds, and the result is marvelous.
From melancholy songs from the beginning of his career, through a song he dedicated to his deceased father - "Know", a poignant manifesto about a confused generation to songs that the audience jumped at with excitement, such as "This is ours" and "Today will be happy".
Goshen represents a wide range of voices, and in the ten years he has performed he has gathered a wide audience - from excited young fans, through bearded hipsters, old men, secular and religious, all singing and dancing side by side.
Goshen's friends joined the show and performed a variety of hits with him.
He started with Liran Danino, who wrote the song "Still Empty", which was his first hit on the radio.
To the disappointment of the audience, Danino joined in an accurate performance of only half a song, and got off the stage.
We would expect another song or two together.
Natan Goshen and Liran Danino in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photo: Orit Pnini
The fans applauded the close friend and esteemed creator Yishai Ribo, and the two performed four wonderful songs together: "We will wait for you" - the duet shared by the two, "Until Exhaustion" by Goshen, Ribo's favorite hit "My Heart" and finally the successful "Cause of Causes" , Also of Ribo.
The fans hugged the two, joined them in singing, and mostly enjoyed the magical combination between the two, who need to team up for more collaborations together.
Nathan Goshen and Vichy Ribo in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photo: Orit Pnini
Excitement was recorded in the audience as he dedicated to his wife Liron the song he had written about her, "Two Children in the World", in perfect timing for the screams of the fans heard from the sides of the stage.
The clip that the two originally shot, in which they revealed the relationship, was replaced by a new and exciting clip - with moments from the newlyweds' wedding.
Every other singer had the feeling that this was a cynical exploitation of the wedding for cheap public relations, but here it seemed that it was a pure and innocent emotion on the part of Goshen, and this is well felt.
In songs he performed with Amir Dadon, the soft and ultimate rocker, Goshen proved that he excels in many styles, retains his uniqueness, and overshadows Dadon, who by all accounts is a great singer, and for a moment did not let us forget who the real star of the evening is.
The song "Or Or Gadol" was also joined by Yishai Ribo for a phenomenal performance, which will be played on various radio stations and will capture the audience, from those who star at the top of the charts.
Will star at the top of the charts.
Natan Goshen, Yishai Ribo and Amir Dadon in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photography: Orit Pnini
In a surprising transition, in which he tells about the rap segment on Instagram that became an overnight hit, Eden Ben Zako burst onto the stage, with the hit shared by the two - "Happy Life".
Goshen, who talked a lot during the evening and revealed the behind the scenes of the pieces, revealed that they recorded the song, and as in Ben Zaken's well-known hit, this time there really was no chorus, and it was written as a flash of a moment, a second before the end of the recording day.
Natan Goshen and Eden Ben Zaken in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photo: Orit Pnini
Two things were a little jarring in the show.
First and foremost - Goshen is not a great performer and does not know how to perform the usual dance moves.
At the beginning of the performance he added hand gestures demonstrating the lyrics of the song, which impaired the performance.
The audience does not expect a dance performance by the duo Static and Ben El, and it would have been better if he continued to hold the microphone, and focus on what really matters - the vocals.
During the performance Goshen let go, and ran around the stage, which was received very naturally and suited the overall style.
Nathan Goshen in the show of the decade // Photo: Orit Pnini, Photo: Orit Pnini
The visual part of the show cannot be ignored either.
The graphics and LED screens were not sophisticated, but echoed Goshen precisely to the nature of the show, providing an overall experience, with a combination of the clips and the character of the singer himself.
In songs that incorporated ornate graphics with colorful LED lights, the combination was jarring to the eyes, and did not suit the spirit of the show.
It would have been better to give them up and stick to the simple things, which better suit the character of the singer.
Two and a half hours and 31 songs later, the show ended, and the enthusiastic crowd had a hard time leaving, and just wanted more and more.
For the perfect ending chord, on the way home he played on the radio singing "Voices of Logic", from the beginning of the singer's career, and best demonstrated the way he went.
A decade later, Nathan Goshen proved he was here to stay.
