Last night was my first foray into the world of gypsy punk rock, and I’ve emerged a completely changed man. Ok, maybe not completely changed, but at the very least recently entertained and to some degree hard of hearing.

The venue for last night’s show was the Gothic Theatre, one of many old Denver theatres (technically the Gothic is in Englewood {which you may recall is always up to no good}) renovated to be a live music venue. I’m a big fan of these types of venues. There’s a good sized area in front of the stage for group gyrations and a balcony where my vertically challenged wife can watch the proceedings: everybody wins.

J and G from the last post were scheduled to be in attendance as well, but J bowed out due to a claim of oncoming sickness. Something having to do with weakening his immune system over the weekend. Pretty lame excuse if you ask me. G was on board though, which was a nice surprise because she’s not much into the punk (or folk punk, or Ukranian folk punk for that matter) scene, but still very open-minded. Her previous experiences at the Gothic had consisted of filming for some death metal acts (also not her scene but you gotta pay the bills), so I applaud her for even returning after that.

We went to Genarro’s Lounge for pre-show activities. This place is awesome: great cheap Italian food, even cheaper beer, and a bunch of sociable regulars playing sad country songs on the jukebox. I can’t figure out why its not packed all the time.

We showed up for the show around 8:45 expecting to catch the two opening acts (advertisement said doors at 7 and show at 8:30). The place was already packed and I had no problem selling J’s extra ticket at a hefty profit of $0.75. I think I have a future as a scalper. To our surprise, the second act, Valiant Thor, was already winding down their set. As I had already seen them once it was no big deal (they really aren’t very good minus the schtick), but this had to be the first time in history that a punk act was actually going on early. Gogol Bordello showed up on stage around 9:30.

So… I can’t provide a set list since I am completely unfamiliar with any of their material. As such, the fact that I was totally blown away by them is all the more impressive. The lead singer exuded energy from the very beginning. After the first chord the floor exploded into an energetic (but surprisingly conscientious) pit. Immediately, I was pushed into the crowd and flailing to the beat with everyone else. Good times, great times in fact. The lead singer kept egging the crowd on and they kept responding with more energy. Overall, the band’s stage presence was impressive.

Musically, they reminded me of a Ukranian version of Flogging Molly, which isn’t a bad thing. The fact that folk tunes have had people dancing for hundreds of years is no coincidence, and the addition of a few electric guitars and an insane front man can only help things. The lead singer was really animated and involved in the show, even when he wasn’t playing or singing, and his dialogues with the crowd were funny. The Bordello girls weren’t really all that impressive. Personally, I still prefer Satan’s cheerleaders. And there were no Elijah Wood sightings. For a minute there I thought maybe a little rapper dude that came out was him, but no such luck.

The radio DJ who introduced them said all the new people at the show should prepare to have their “minds warped” during the show. I think they should avoid his introductions in the future. That’s just a tough billing to live up to. If Bordello girls dancing around in funny costumes and a lead singer banging a bucket on top of a microphone is mind-warping, then perhaps he was right. But I just didn’t see it. But I still had an awesome time and left mind fully intact.

Besides me, both G and my wife, neither of whom are into punk, also had a great time by all accounts. I can highly recommend Gogol Bordello should they be in your town. They definitely bring a lot of energy and in Denver they had a big group of loyal fans, which I think always helps the atmosphere. No mind warpage needed.

MPB