Last night me and my old lady went to Webster Hall for Gogol Bordello. Their set time was 9PM so we arrived fashionably late at 9:15. I mean, bands never start on time right? Well to our surprise they were already on stage playing when we walked through the door. Bummer.
We headed upstairs but couldn't see shit because of the crowds gathered along the railing on the balcony. So we went back down to the main ballroom but the place was so packed that we couldn't get anywhere near the stage.
Then I got a text message from one of the dudes who books at Webster Hall, "We on balc right". We went back upstairs and found him and a few other pals at a booth right above the stage. So we went from not being able to see to having the best seats in the house. My five foot tall girlfriend was pretty happy about her spot right on the rail.
Gogol Bordello was fucking fantastic as they always are. The entire floor was packed and everyone there was dancing. The floor was like a moon bounce from everyone jumping up and down. The set lasted well over an hour and it was full on the whole time.
They finished the set and walked off the stage. The crowd demanded an encore. Finally, Eugene Hutz (front man extraordinaire) took the stage, just him and his guitar. All alone he broke into "American Wedding" and it was amazing. He started singing and playing guitar but at various points he stopped altogether and let the crowd take over while he conducted. He also did some beat boxing while using his guitar solely for percussive purposes. It was extremely raw and wonderful.
Afterwards the band came back out and played a few tunes. They closed with a very long version of "Undestructable". The show was one of the best Gogol shows I've been to. They've really hit their stride as a band and are extremely impressive. Tonight is the last night of the series and fucking Dillinger Escape Plan is opening, which is a mind fuck indeed and should get the crowd in a frenzy.
