Gogol Bordello
Live @ Estathe Market Sound, Milano, 27.08/2015

THE REVIEW

Unusual location for the Estathè Market Sound Festival, which takes place in a space of Milan's general markets (fish, fruits, and flowers) connected with the theme of Expo 2015. It’s the end of August, and it’s time for the Milan leg of the Gogol Bordello tour. The concert started with a delay of a good hour and a half (technical problems? Waiting for the queue at the ticket office to clear? We’ll never know) "entertained" by a DJ, Mad Sound System, who seems never to want to leave... when a member of the GB crew tells him to quickly wrap it up, it’s met with a general roar. But almost half an hour will pass from there until the start of the concert, spent by the roadies checking the equipment on stage. It’s 10:30 PM, and finally Eugene and his bandmates storm the stage, welcomed by a general ovation. Hutz's first guitar strums introduce the notes of “Ultimate,” followed by a “Not a Crime” sung at the top of everyone’s lungs, about 4-5 thousand people, as it seems practically packed. During the third song, the wild Elizabeth makes her entrance on stage, absent during the first two songs. It's the first time I see GB live, and my impression of the first two pieces, which I know well, is that of a monolithic band perfectly in sync, equipped with frightening energy. The songs follow one another without pause, the desire to play seems really intense, reminding me of the mythical Ramones who delivered one piece after another with minimal breaks. The stage impact is essential: the usual banner with the slingshot behind the drums, with the slogan "Familia undestructable," lights and dry ice smoke. No frills, just as their music is frill-free, going straight to the essential: playing for the pleasure of doing so, for the pleasure of partying together, with no embellishments or baroque touches. There are no virtuoso performances, and in this lies the gypsy spirit of Hutz (half Roma). In short, pure music. And they are unstoppable, not just Eugene interacting with the audience, but practically everyone, except the drummer for obvious reasons. An hour of the concert flies by quickly, highlighting a “Immigraniada” played at a devastating speed and rage, with a chorus that cannibalizes “Immigrant Punk” (which will not be played). Acoustic spaces intersperse with violent and fast tempo changes, all supported by a powerful rhythmic base that doesn’t miss a beat. A few minutes of pause and then off with a good twenty minutes of encore, starting with an overstretched “Wonderlust King,” beginning with only percussion, voices from the stage, and choirs from the audience, ending on entirely acoustic suggestions, violin, accordion, and guitar, of an anguished and poignant “Alcohol.” Speaking of alcohol, Hutz often with a bottle of wine in hand, although I believe more wine ends up on the ground than what he actually drinks... The setlist? Who knows... I didn’t make one, and the incipient Alzheimer’s doesn’t help ;-) In any case, a great concert by a band truly in shape, with top-notch chemistry and releasing unparalleled energy.