Gogol Bordello with DeLeon
Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello
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July 28, 2009
Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Review by Laura Herrera
Photos by David Levitan
Fans of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello know funky fun. Sporting coin belts, mohawks, and faux mustaches, the audience at Revolution was representative of the mesh of cultures present in the music of Gogol Bordello.
As fans trickled into venue, I noticed they were older. Their attire was brighter, and on occasions (for those wearing coin belts) noisier. This wasn’t a typical punk show. Then again, Gogol Bordello isn’t your typical punk band. Being defined as “gypsy punk,” Gogol sparks a unique fusion between traditional Eastern European beats and Romani music and punk. This mixture brings along a wild stage performance, or so I was told by veterans who had seen them at their last stop in South Florida.
DeLeon
To warm up the fans, a mix of trance, Middle Eastern belly dance music and Rancid played on repeat inside the Revolution. However, even before the show began, there was a greater mystery: Who was the opening act? The band wasn’t advertised on any printed or online flyers, nor were they on Gogol Bordello’s Web site or MySpace. So when the curtains parted and DeLeon took the stage, everyone’s eyes were focused on them.
The vocals were deep and haunting as DeLeon played a slow intro. The drummer beat on a single drum while the trumpet player blew out a slow melody, and the front man picked a tune, moving as if he was making love to his guitar. And to add on to the mesh of cultures, it was evident by the second song that the vocals were alternating between English, Spanish and Hebrew.
It was refreshing to hear such a different blend of music. I was already expecting unconventional gypsy punk, but throwing in Sephardic indie rock nearly threw me into culture shock. I was digging their uplifting, yet mellow tunes and greatly approved of the immense amount of clapping they did throughout their set, which they incorporated into nearly every song: Hand claps should be considered an official instrument of the band. Seeing that the crowd gladly followed along, it was obvious DeLeon were well received.
Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello
Once DeLeon’s set ended, a test of patience began. It seemed like an eternity until Gogol Bordello began to play. This is not one of Revolution’s fine points. It seems that at every Revolution show it takes an unnecessary amount of time to set up equipment between bands, especially before the headliner. In this case, it took over an hour of standing in the overcrowded pit for Gogol Bordello to take the stage. However, although the wait was agonizing to my head, and my feet, it was well worth it.
The crowd cheered and jumped whenever it seemed the band might take the stage regardless of the house lights still being on. Needless to say, when the curtains opened and the band began to walk on stage, the pit exploded into cheers. Gogol started off their set with one of their more relaxed songs, but the audience didn’t seem to care as they danced and pushed everyone within their arms reach. But the intensity rose to a whole different level on Gogol’s third song as everyone chanted, “Sally was a 15-year-old girl from Nebraska,” lyrics to one of Gogol’s better known songs, “Sally.” From there the party really began.
As the crowd jumped around, Elizabeth Sun and Pamela Racine, both percussionists and back-up vocalists and dancers, joined the rest of the band onstage. Dressed like goddesses with flowing white dresses and elaborate eye makeup, they encouraged the crowd and eventually brought out cymbals and a bass drum. Gogol’s MC, Pedro Erazo, also ran around on stage singing, mostly taking on the Spanish lyrics in select songs. Along with the electric violin played by Sergey Ryabtsev, Gogol’s music was one of a kind.
DeLeon
I had never seen Revolution’s pit as it was that night. There wasn’t just one individual circle pit. Instead, almost everyone was moving around, arms flailing and feet jumping song after song. The energy never stopped and instead the crowd was hyped up by hits such as “Not a Crime,” “Wonderlust King” and “60 Revolutions.” “Start Wearing Purple,” possibly Gogol’s best known song, brought on a sing-along as people danced arm in arm and professed in each others' faces their temporary love for the color purple. Even as Gogol walked off stage, fans were persistent. They howled and clapped, awaiting the encore.
The festive and ridiculously sweaty atmosphere continued as Gogol played their last three songs of the night. As their grand finale, they managed to stretch their last song for 10, possibly 15 minutes. Every time the music stopped and you would think the show was over, they would pick it up again, yelling “undestructable.” But there was no need to shout it. With a stunning stage presence, a unique sound, and front man Eugene Hütz’s intense mustache, Gogol Bordello will always be “undesrtuctable” in the music world.
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