I'm not going to pretend that I know the history of Gogol Bordello, but I'm still going to vouch for this show because:
1.) I just watched this YouTube clip of the band on Letterman and I like the cut of their jib:
2.) PegNews regular Pavel says they are cool. (Some more detail, sir?)
3.) Nice press quotes: They've been described as "a bit like The Clash and The Pogues having a fight... in Eastern Europe." The Hartford Courant described the lead singer's voice as "somewhere between that of Borat and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog." The more pedestrian NPR called them the "Greatest Live Band in New York."
4.) Our friends at C3 Presents, as part of their marketing deal with us, have given us two (yes, two!) pair of tickets to their March 19 show (with opener Skindred) to give away as we see fit. Since we don't have a Daily You tag to automagically tell us who our readers most interested in "melodic gypsy folk punk" are, we'll do this as a drawing.
You know the drill by now: Registered users (free/easy/painless) can enter up to twice by favoriting our page for the show and/or the Granada venue page. You favorite by clicking the "add to favorites" link in the tan bar on the listing. We'll draw two winners of two tickets each at 8 AM on March 18.
Or, you can dispense with the games of chance and buy tickets now.
Comments
Erin Rice Verified
I discovered Gogol Bordello on Pandora one day and I agree with Pavel, they are cool. There just aren't enough Gypsy punk bands out there. Skindred, the opening act, has an interesting hardcore reggae type sound (from the 1-2 songs I know). This is going to be a wicked show.
1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
I'm not really good at reviewing bands or music, but their shows are really energetic, and as you can tell from the above clip, the music is catchy and fun to listen to. It's a show that won't disappoint, unless you hate great music and good times.
If you like Gogol Bordello, check out Electric Gypsyland (volumes 1 and 2) - it's pretty good stuff as well, in a similar vein.
1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
Dammit Miko!
I forgot that this applies to whoever favorites the show AND the venue. I had such high hopes for decent odds on one of the pairs of tix...everybody and their brother have favorited the granada, though.
My Friday lunch is ruined and it's all because of you. =(
1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
The winners (one of whom, for the record, favorited the show and not the venue) are captainamerica and Lisa.
The rest of you Gypsy Punk fans will just have to buy tickets.
1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Lisa Anonymous
"How cool!" I thought to myself when I got the email that said I had won tickets from Pegasus to see Gogol Bordello at the Granada Theater. I had scarcely heard of this band before, but free is free and I love a night on the town.
Being late runners as my partner and I characteristically are, we decided to go grab a quick bite of dinner at Snuffers before the show. Then a quick dash next door and Whaa?! We see this huge line of people waiting outside to purchase their tickets. But wait! Much to my delight, “we” are shown the door to direct entrance, as our “tickets” awaited us at a will call line. Sweet! Thank you, Pegasus!
So, As I don’t consider myself a writer by any means, here’s my humble attempt at a review:
When we got inside, we had missed the opening band, but there was some great world music playing, and we found our way to the small space we would occupy for the evening. The band was setting up and there was a palpable feeling of anticipation of the band taking stage. A couple of false starts by the audience, and then the band is suddenly on stage. The audience is frenzied, and then they dramatically reveal their backdrop: “GOGOL BORDELLO”…Gypsy Punks! Wow!
Before the show, I had tried to find out more about the band by going to their website. I have to say that I found it completely baffling, but admittedly highly entertaining! Also, we had listened to a few of the band’s CD’s before, but we were unprepared for the full force of the live performance! As my husband said (to someone else in an email), “Their records don’t even begin to compare to their show.” At one point in the show, I thought to myself that the massive crowd on the floor looked like one huge organism moving rhythmically to the beat of this awesome music.
To my mind, Gogol Bordello is a spirited mix of Reggae, Polka, and Funk all rolled up with a few more spices in the mix. To say they were “high energy” would be an understatement. It was as fun and inventive a performance as I’ve ever seen.
And that was probably the best reggae accordion I’ve ever heard played. So, thanks again to Mike Orren and Pegasus News for a great night out.
1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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