Ice Cream Man

After almost two years in San Francisco, I caught my first show at the legendary (and newly reopened) Fox Theater in Oakland, and the sold out Gogol Bordello and Forro in the Dark party certainly left a lasting first impression. Despite the packed house, I never had to wait in line for a drink, had a great view of the stage from just about anywhere in the house, and the sound throughout the theater was great.

As always, Gogol Bordello put on a massively raucous live show. I had seen them many times at festival venues and always wanted to see them in a smaller/indoor venue. The Fox was better, but I still would like to go smaller. I imagine the perfect Gogol Bordello experience (not meant to detract from the aforementioned awesomeness of the Fox Theater) to be a cramped, humid, dimly-lit venue, with low ceilings and equally low (or non-existent) stage. I envision lead singer, Eugene Hütz, leaning into the sweaty (probably non-english speaking) crowd with one hand clenching the microphone, and the other gripping a rafter to brace himself. You catch my drift. Bottom line: Gogol Bordello seems one of those bands that the worse the venue the better the show. So try to catch them at a perfectly horrible venue near you.

Forro (who are a personal favorite that we’ve covered a couple times for ICM) and GB put on a great show, but the evening’s highlights certainly came afterwards, downstairs in the “Foxhole”. We were given “Afterparty” wristbands at will call, but couldn’t get a clear answer on what or where the after party was. As it turns out, the dressing room/artist area at the Fox is in the basement (hence the “Foxhole”), so after the show we joined a small group of friends and fans downstairs for an informal get together. It was a bit awkward at first, as we were led downstairs by event staff, and no one seemed to know what was going on. We were held in a waiting room for a few minutes, and then led back to the artist area where there was some food and drinks, and everyone loosened up pretty quick. Soon Eugene Hütz and Davi Vieira were leading a Gypsy/Forro freestyle battle in the hallway, backed by members of Forro, Gogol, Manu Chao, and whomever else wanted to join in by slapping a wall or knocking a lighter on a beer bottle. It was amazing, and it occurred to me that I was now seeing Gogol Bordello in that ideal environment.

The “Foxhole” jam session will definitely rank as one of my personal favorite live music experiences, and it kicked off a long week of music and ice cream as Ice Cream Man rolled into town the next day and stayed with us for a full week to sling at the Treasure Island Music Festival, The Frisco Freakout, the Bridge School Benefit and more. We caught Chico Mann at 330 Ritch later that week, so I’ve included pics of that show as well. One things for sure: when Ice Cream Man is your guest, you can count on plenty of good beer, good music, and good coffee. All in addition to free ice cream of course!