The Twin Cities are an underrated hotbed of live music, featuring several world-class venues that host both music stars and a thriving local scene. That said, there is one venue that stands above all others as the titan of Minnesota music culture: First Ave.
701 First Avenue has hosted Minnesota legends like The Replacements, Soul Asylum, and Husker Du, and, most notably, was the recording place for Prince’s Purple Rain live music scene.
On Wednesday, February 25th, the hallowed First Ave played host to one of the premier live acts in punk rock, Gogol Bordello. The band is coming off the release of their new record, We Mean it Man! and is still bringing the raucous and chaotic live energy that put them on the map in the 2000s.
Boris and the Joy
While Gogol Bordello was the main event, the bill was filled out by two stellar acts, starting with Boris and the Joy. The band is a solo project by former Gogol Bordello guitarist Boris Pelekh, a songwriter from Nashville with Russian and Ukrainian Roots.
Boris and the Joy carry over the world-culture influence that made Pelekh such a good fit with Gogol Bordello. The material is electro indie-rock/pop, tinged with folk elements, which was popular with the crowd. Pelekh also spent time during the set addressing recent events in Minneapolis, preaching unity and loving your community. The message, mixed with Pelekh’s positive, unifying music, was a perfect opener for a night of bands defined by their wide-reaching (sonic and geographic) influences.
Puzzled Panther
Puzzled Panther took the stage next, continuing the night with their own brand of versatile music. For anyone who has never heard of Puzzled Panther, it is difficult to pin down exactly how you’d describe their genre. They blend influences from dance, Eastern Europe, dub, and post-punk. The band features a blend of talented musicians, both new and well-known to fans of the genre. Puzzled Panther is led by Victoria Espinoza (vocals) and Kay Bontempo (guitar), along with music industry veterans Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello, Brian Chase, formerly of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, on drums, and bassist Alex Ryaboy.
The band has been touring consistently since emerging in 2023, with their self-titled debut EP released shortly after in 2024. They often open for Gogol Bordello, given their connection to Hütz, who has also served as the band’s producer thus far. While they’ve always been a high-energy electric live band, they are consistently improving. As someone who was seeing them for the third time at this show, I can say I’ve enjoyed them more with each gig. They’ve turned into a band I would pay for a ticket to see headline a venue on their own.
Puzzled Panther ripped through their 45-minute set, playing a mix of originals, with Eugene Hütz joining the band on stage for the latter half of the show.
One of the highlights of the show came with the band’s final number, a cover of Sonic Youth’s Dirty Boots. Puzzled Panther carries the cover well, given their clear influence from the noisy, artsy New York Post Punk scene. The set was entertaining from front to back and left me wanting more. The band is certainly one to watch going forward.
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, playing their brand of punk, folk, Latin, dub, and Eastern European fusion music, informed by their members’ diverse backgrounds and heritage. The band called their almost entirely new sound which heavily featured the fiddle, accordion and traditional percussion mixed with hardcore structures “gypsy punk”. While the band has released several celebrated albums, it has always been incredibly notable for its live performances. The raucous, unifying energy of Gogol Bordello has taken frontman Eugene Hütz and co. all around the world and onto the stages of the biggest alternative music festivals. I’m happy to report that magic is still very much there.
Gogol Bordello began their set with a cut from their new album titled “Ignition” before erupting into a string of crowd-pleasing favorites. Floor-shaking renditions of Gogol Bordello classics like “Wonderlust King”, “Not A Crime,” and “My Companjera” reminded the audience of how deep the band’s catalog is, as they can rip through songs from their most-celebrated works while still having plenty left in the chamber. After running through the hits, Gogol Bordello invited Puzzled Panther back to the stage to perform two songs, one of which was Puzzled Panther’s song “From Boyarka to Boyaca”.
Members of the openers joining Gogol Bordello on stage provided a perfect opportunity to reflect on the band’s ethos. Gogol Bordello is a multicultural collective that celebrates the patchwork quilt of global traditions and cultures, and the community that forms from our commonalities and differences.
This was particularly powerful, given the timing of the concert, which came as Minneapolis is currently dealing with the occupation of federal agents. That moment wasn’t lost on the band, who spoke on the importance of supporting your neighbors and celebrating that Gogol Bordello is inherently a band of immigrants.
From there, Gogol Bordello continued a set that featured fan favorites and several cuts from their new record, We Mean It, Man! For a band with as much material as Gogol Bordello, it’s natural to worry that their new music will be overshadowed by older material that fans have had many years to fall in love with. One of the standout aspects of this show was how seamlessly We Mean It, Man! material fit into the set. The album features more electronic and dub influences than the band has shown in some time, but it’s dripping with high-octane energy that had the crowd just as into the band’s new material. If you haven’t heard any of the new record, check out the self-titled track.
Gogol Bordello’s set ended with three crowd favorites: “Mishto!”, their iconic “Start Wearing Purple,” and the rocking “Pala Tute.” That trio ended their regular set before the band returned to the stage for an encore.
The most notable moment of the encore was a rendition of the band’s triumphant closer, “Undestructable”. Gogol Bordello often ends their show with that cut, but this time was different, with a cover of The Stooges’ “TV Eye” mixed in. Shannon Selberg of the legendary noise punk band The Cows also joined the band on stage for the final song of the night.
If there was anything to take from the show, it’s that Gogol Bordello is still one of the best of the business at putting on an electric live act. It’s a wonder how the band is able to keep up the level of energy they do on stage. The songs are strong, the music is unique and the band’s ethos is infectious. Catch them on this tour while you still can.
Check out some additional photos from the show below.
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