UPDATED 22 July 2007: I have a collection of photos here on my Flickr account from both shows I attended if you’re interested.
Last night was a great night. The day did not start well. I woke late feeling ill. By midday I started feeling fair so I trudged off to work. I was concerned because that night I was planning to see Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza.
Thank goodness I was feeling better. A two-man act called Services opened and I have to admit that they were fun in spite of their shtick. White shirts, black ties, geeks with sound machines strapped to stands with fluorescent lights strapped to the front. They looked like they stole a kit from Radio Shack and strapped it to their mom’s ironing board. I can’t imagine ever buying one of their records (seven years ago, maybe), but behind the eruption of electronic noise there was a charming impish quality that I found appealing.
During the breaks DJ Scratchy filed the room with a dazzling array of what he calls “the rock and roll of the world.” I’ll need to start looking for him around town. He was playing my kind of music.
Cellphone camera photo
And then Gogol Bordello took the stage. Eugene Hutz embodies a swirling and mesmerizing chaos. He’s not just a lead man or the face and voice of the group; Hutz is a fucking force of global party nature. Do yourself one favor today and stop to discover Gogol Bordello.
Toward the end of their set they invade the crowd. Pamela Racine hurls her bass drum into the crowd. Once the throng is over the novelty of having the instrument in their realm, she beckons it back to the stage. She directs the crowd to bring it to the lip of the stage and she climbs aboard. This is a singularly thrilling moment of one of their shows, and I get goosebumps writing about it.
Cellphone camera photo
There is so much meaning in this act: the bond between the audience and the music, the responsibility and trust she shows the fans who carry her and hold her high, the domination of music and the hope that music might dominate the world. I could go on, but I don’t want to deconstruct what to me is a brilliant emotional peak of the show.
Last night when Pamela took to the drum I felt an overwhelming rush of bliss. I could chalk it up to the rush of adrenalin from a night of bouncing to Gogol Bordello’s music, but there was something extra last night. For only the second time in months–months–I was overcome by pure joy. (The other time was when I saw my son recently.) My god it was amazing.
I am not up to the challenge of describing everything that was going on inside me, but allow me to lay out a few more words. I got there early so I could grab a spot at the stage. I listened and danced and pogoed and swayed to all the music last night (including the geek electronica of Services) and when Gogol Bordello tore through their set like the ravaging lovers they are, I was left at the end of the night drenched in sweat and high as a kite off the music.
By the end of the show, the mosh pit had forced me down the edge of stage toward the corner of house right where the door to back stage was. When the band left the stage, they pressed the flesh on their way to the exit. That gave me a great chance to tell each of them “Thank you.” That’s it. I’m not a dopey fanatic. Just let me shake your hand and tell you thanks for your work.
I’ll be back there tonight. Two shows in NYC. Gogol Bordello is one of New York City’s best bands. In a city with such a grand tradition, that is no small statement.
Recommended:
- Music
- Voi-La Intruder – 1999.
- Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony - September 2002.
- East Infection - January 2005.
- Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike - August 2005.
- Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike - 2 Disc Vinyl - March 2006.
- Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony + East Infection - 2 Disc Vinyl - December 2006.
- Super Taranta! - July 10th, 2007. SideOneDummy Records
- Web
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