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Party! Party! Gogol Bordello's live party
by Angela Gandini posted January 10, 2008
Gogol Bordello gave it their all to bring the authenticity and complete anarchy that characterizes one of their typical performances to T5 this Saturday, November 3rd. They opened their set with "Ultimate" off their newest album, Super Taranta. Normally, the concern of seeing one of your favorite bands near to or shortly after the release of a new album is always that the old familiar songs will be left in the dust, abandoned for newer songs that we as the audience, quite frankly, cannot get into just yet! Not so with this performance.
Overall Gogol Bordello's set structure seems to have been considerately assembled, thinking of old fans and new ones. Lead singer, Eugene Hutz, is very critical of the lack-luster American idea of a party as confessed in his lyrics to the song, "American Wedding". True to character, he seems to have been determined to show us how it's done, and thank goodness for that! The show was less of a performance than it was a party in the way that only one who has seen this literal band of gypsies perform can comprehend.
From the moment Hutz and company took the stage it was compelling and enlightening, and just when it seemed as though the show was over, Hutz retook the stage with only an acoustic guitar in hand for a great performance of "Alcohol", a new song that is sure to become a drinker's anthem. New life was breathed into the party when the rest of the band joined their leader on stage to perform some favorites of long-time Gogol Bordello fans.
It is easy to forget, given the all out madness of their part choreographed, part improvised, always refreshing performances that Gogol Bordello is comprised of several phenomenal musicians. Russian born Sergei Ryabtsev, normally armed with a worn and rickety fiddle out of which he pulls some of the most infectious hooks your ears have ever welcomed has upgraded to a more modern version of his instrument of choice.
Normally one would criticize his acceptance of what is clearly a costly piece of machinery, but the improvement is palpable and it contributes greatly to the fact that Gogol Bordello, already a great live band, is sounding better than ever. Sergei's duet with accordionist Yuri Lemeshev at the beginning of their classic, "Start Wearing Purple", is a few seconds from a song made famous by Charlie Chaplin in another classic, Modern Times. Their mere knowledge of this extremely obscure jewel is a statement to their keen grasp on all cultures.
It is this paradoxical familiarity with the foreign that makes Gogol Bordello not only a great band to listen to, but also an incredibly informed group of musicians whose longing to pass this love of culture on to their fans is heartfelt and palpable.
Overall Gogol Bordello's set structure seems to have been considerately assembled, thinking of old fans and new ones. Lead singer, Eugene Hutz, is very critical of the lack-luster American idea of a party as confessed in his lyrics to the song, "American Wedding". True to character, he seems to have been determined to show us how it's done, and thank goodness for that! The show was less of a performance than it was a party in the way that only one who has seen this literal band of gypsies perform can comprehend.
From the moment Hutz and company took the stage it was compelling and enlightening, and just when it seemed as though the show was over, Hutz retook the stage with only an acoustic guitar in hand for a great performance of "Alcohol", a new song that is sure to become a drinker's anthem. New life was breathed into the party when the rest of the band joined their leader on stage to perform some favorites of long-time Gogol Bordello fans.
It is easy to forget, given the all out madness of their part choreographed, part improvised, always refreshing performances that Gogol Bordello is comprised of several phenomenal musicians. Russian born Sergei Ryabtsev, normally armed with a worn and rickety fiddle out of which he pulls some of the most infectious hooks your ears have ever welcomed has upgraded to a more modern version of his instrument of choice.
Normally one would criticize his acceptance of what is clearly a costly piece of machinery, but the improvement is palpable and it contributes greatly to the fact that Gogol Bordello, already a great live band, is sounding better than ever. Sergei's duet with accordionist Yuri Lemeshev at the beginning of their classic, "Start Wearing Purple", is a few seconds from a song made famous by Charlie Chaplin in another classic, Modern Times. Their mere knowledge of this extremely obscure jewel is a statement to their keen grasp on all cultures.
It is this paradoxical familiarity with the foreign that makes Gogol Bordello not only a great band to listen to, but also an incredibly informed group of musicians whose longing to pass this love of culture on to their fans is heartfelt and palpable.