Aviv Geffen's 14th Rock Ball returned to Yarkon Park for the fourth time on Wednesday, drawing about 50,000 people to a show that has become a fixture in Israeli music. What began years ago as a one-off event for a few thousand at the Ganei HaTa'arucha exhibition grounds has grown into an annual gathering for fans who come as much to relive a soundtrack to their lives as to hear anything new.
Geffen opened in a sheer white dress with red fringes, while his band, HaTeuyot, wore red button-down shirts. The guest list followed one of the concert's traditions and included Yehuda Poliker, Ninet Tayeb, HaYehudim, Mango, Patrick Sabag, Tamar Giladi, Aharon Tal and Roi Levi from Shotei HaNevu'a, and Eli Luzon. Some pairings landed better than others, but the reunion with artists who are less visible today still gave the night a nostalgic edge.
The strongest moments came when the concert stopped trying to surprise the audience and focused on the songs. Tayeb gave force and emotion to Geffen's "Sheleg" and "Hakol Yachol Lirkot," HaYehudim electrified the crowd with "Hayamim Shelanu," and Luzon lifted the arena with "Geshem." Poliker completed what Geffen called the third point in the triangle of Israeli rock, alongside Shalom Hanoch and Shlomo Artzi, after Geffen had hosted both in earlier editions.
Geffen himself struggled at times with a hoarse voice, especially early on, but loosened up later in "Al Tid'ag" and "Sof HaOlam." The evening also had personal moments, including his dedication of "Mal'ach" to Ron Tzarfati, who was murdered at the Nova party along with her partner Idan Hermeti, and a performance of "Makom LeDaga" by his son Eliot, replacing Dylan, Geffen's eldest son, who is in the army. Near the end, Geffen urged voters to choose hope, equality, peace, and a better future, saying, "This is an election year, friends. There is no need to inflame things and smear others. There is enough of that in our reality."
