Front Row Pix: Gogol Bordello @ Green River Festival

By Frank Poulin

Pura Vida Conspiracy hit the streets earlier this week

Full disclosure: I’m a gigantic fan of Gogol Bordello. But frankly, even if I hated their music, I’d still tell you that their show last week at the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA was simply great.

This was my first time seeing the band perform live; through an almost comical series of circumstances over the years I had never had the chance to catch them until now. Turns out, it was well worth the wait (and the 4-hour roundtrip drive to Greenfield). And judging by the crowd’s reaction, I’d say I’m not alone in that sentiment.

If you’ve been to the Green River Festival before, you know that it’s a great place to see live music. The site offers easy access and plenty of parking (as it is held on the grounds of Greenfield Community College), the staff is courteous and well-organized, and the main stage is first-rate. And by the time GB took that stage, the air was cooling down, the moon was out and the hot air balloons were glowing in the background. Just a perfect setting.

The show had a good mix of new material and classic songs, opening with “Dig Deep Enough,” taken from GB’s new album Pura Vida Conspiracy and taking us through many fan favorites including “Sally,” “Wonderlust King,” and the anthemic “Start Wearing Purple.” They also played one of my favorites off the new CD, “Lost Innocent World,” during a generously long encore. Singer Eugene Hütz was in rare form and the entire band played ~ well, let’s put it this way: with all the energy these guys expend on stage, I can’t imagine they need to hit the gym to stay in shape while on tour

 GB Official Site
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