It’s hard to describe what happened at The Elul Experience on Wednesday night. You really had to be there.

Mordechai Ben David and Yaakov Shwekey, two artists who have each spent decades filling arenas and creating music that has become part of Jewish life, came together as co-headliners Wednesday night for The Elul Experience. It was a pairing of two of Jewish music’s biggest voices in a production built around the music, emotion and spirit of Elul, and from the moment the night began, it was clear this was going to be far beyond another concert.

The evening opened with Yanky Lemmer, whose unmistakable voice immediately set the tone for the night. With the power, warmth and depth that have made him one of the most distinctive chazzanim today, Lemmer drew the audience in from the first note and opened the evening on exactly the right note.

Mordechai Ben David showed once again why there is simply no one like MBD. Decades of songs that everyone in the room knew by heart, the humor and spontaneity that are uniquely his, and an ability to move thousands from laughter to emotion to dancing within minutes. Generations have grown up on his music, and Wednesday night brought all of that together on one stage.

Yaakov Shwekey was every bit the powerhouse audiences have come to expect. His voice, range and energy filled the room as he moved through hit after hit, with the crowd right there with him on every word. He can take a room from an intimate, emotional moment to thousands of people on their feet, and throughout the night he did exactly that.

And when MBD and Shwekey shared the stage, the chemistry was immediate and completely natural. They joked, played off each other, sang together and clearly enjoyed every minute of it. Seeing two artists of their stature, each with his own sound, personality and decades of music, come together so naturally became one of the defining parts of the night.

And the crowd matched them at every turn. The energy and participation were unlike anything Jewish music has seen before. Thousands sang at full volume, danced, cheered and at times simply took over the music. There was a constant back and forth between the stage and the audience, and instead of slowing down as the night went on, the room somehow kept getting louder.

Led by Maestro Mendy Hershkowitz, the Mendy Hershkowitz Band, together with the inimitable Yoely Horowitz and the Shira Choir, took on a massive musical program spanning decades and delivered at every turn. The arrangements gave new life to familiar songs while preserving what people have always loved about them, and the band and choir moved effortlessly through the many magnificent and unexpected musical moments of the night.

From the moment the idea for The Elul Experience was conceived, Apex Creatives knew they wanted it to be exactly that: completely Elul, and a transformative experience from beginning to end. Every part of the evening was carefully curated with that vision in mind, from the music and programming to the staging, visuals, lighting and sound. Nothing was incidental, and no detail was overlooked. From top to bottom, every element was produced at the highest level, coming together to create an experience that was as powerful in its message and emotion as it was in its scale.

When the final song ended, the audience made it very clear that they weren’t finished. People stayed on their feet calling for more, waiting for another song and simply not wanting to leave. The messages began coming in almost immediately and haven’t stopped, with people talking about the performances, the music, the production and what it felt like to be in that room.

Some nights are announced and you wonder whether they’ll live up to the hype. Others end with people asking when the next one is.

After The Elul Experience, it was made clear yet again: when Apex Creatives puts its name on a production, you want to be in the room.

*For those who missed it, or simply want to experience it again, the full replay of The Elul Experience is available for the next 48 hours only.*
https://mostlymusic.com/products/the-elul-experience

MULTIPLE VIDEOS: Clips of the Elul Experience Featuring MBD & Shwekey