|
Eugene Hütz |
New Year’s Eve falls on a Thursday this year, but details like days and locations matter about as much to Gogol Bordello as the ear wax that singer Eugene Hütz claims to use as mustache lube. Matter less, probably.
An example: During a June 2008 performance in Richmond, Hütz grabbed a microphone mid-show and shouted, “Thank you very much, Charlottesville!” He was about 70 miles off but, after a wine-fueled show and hedonistic 45-minute encore, there likely wasn’t a soul in the room who wouldn’t follow Hütz to Charlottesville.
This year—barring another mix-up—Gogol Bordello will ring in 2010 with a New Year’s Eve gig at our very own Jefferson Theatre. Like any New Year’s Eve party worth its weight in Moët, a Gogol Bordello concert relies less on the where and more on the how. In fact, the two occasions ideally share the same ingredients—dressing up for the purpose of getting down, sweaty rump-shaking in a room full of strangers and festively ritualistic consumption of alcohol. (In 2005, Hütz told C-VILLE that “people in the band drink very systematically. I would even say scientifically.”)
But it’s not enough for gypsy-punk’s blitzkrieg boppers to celebrate the peaks of human debauchery before you. You’re talking about a band that wrote a song titled “Think Globally, Fuck Locally.” This year, “local” is our city.
| Gogol Bordello performs with The Extraordinaires on December 31 at The Jefferson Theatre at 8pm. Tickets are officially sold out, but we bet you could find one if you look hard enough. |
Rather, a Gogol Bordello show means giving yourself over to nine fiddling, chanting and shamelessly flesh-baring musicians and letting them cheer you on towards (and beyond) excess. Hütz and his fellow travelers are a screwy sound and sight, sure—like if Iggy Pop fronted the Pogues, or Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds if the Bad Seeds included two burlesque breakdancers and a fiddler who looks a bit like Mick Fleetwood.
Like the truly legendary New Year’s Eve benders, a Gogol Bordello show should leave you hammered, tattered and shameless. A review of the band’s 2002 visit to Charlottesville noted that the crowd “in many ways upstaged Gogol Bordello with its own antics.” If you’re not up to besting that performance, you might want to think about partying harder in 2010. Thank you very much, Charlottesville.—Brendan Fitzgerald
 |
Band of gypsies
Trendsetters in their own right, Gogol Bordello takes to the Jefferson stage on New Year’s Eve. Your biggest question should be: What will I wear?—Caite White
On Rebecca Bratu:
Free People Navy Sequin Slip from Bittersweet, $68
Turquoise Lostwoods Racerback tank from Bittersweet, $34
Silence & Noise Zip Front Cami from Urban Outfitters, $54
Vanilla Star black skinny pants from T.J.Maxx, $16.99
Black Michael Antonio Tarsus heels from Rugged Wearhouse, $9.99
Anchor ring, metal bangles and studded bangle combo from Urban Outfitters, $12, $20 and $24
Earrings and other jewelry are model’s own.
On Robb Soukup:
Long-sleeved stripe tee from Old Navy, $10
Pub graphic tee from Old Navy, $15
UO Jazz Shoe from Urban Outfitters, $68
Army jacket from Goodwill, $3.50
Suede hat from Antics, $26
Grey skinny jeans are model’s own.
Photo by Jack Looney on the Jefferson Theater stage.
Click here to return to the FEATURE
