Kevin Bronson on April 17th, 2011

0

Who: Gogol Bordello on the main stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Familia indestructable indeed
I’ll Remember This Until: Coachella 2012, if we’re lucky, because Gogol Bordello made the case they should just become a permanent feature of the desert music festival. At past Coachellas, they’ve played packed late-night sets to devoted faithful, but opening up the band to a broader audience on the mainstage midday was a stroke of genius by organizers. Eugene Hütz and his diverse pack of gypsy punks were maniacal. They preached anti-establishment and psychotic behavior to thousands of attendees, baptizing them in sweat and wine from a bottle held firmly to Hütz’s gyrating groin. (Drinketh of this wine, it is my ”¦ ew, nevermind.) The throbbing horde of fans was as diverse as the kinetic claptrap on stage; it was the most responsive audience all day for a band not named the Arcade Fire. For Gogol Bordello, using “gypsy” as a gimmicky way to package punk rock has transcended into a revelatory musical philosophy. At show’s end, Hütz bellowed “Break the spell! Break the spell!” Did he know he cast one himself?
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Were At Foals: My band crashed your band’s wedding.
– Ben “Mouse” McShane
Photos by Jim Donnelly