Flogging Molly headlined a night that felt like a giant party in Columbus. Andrew Maniskas/The Pit
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]n this gray and wet Monday evening, several flavors of multicultural-inspired punk rock descended on Columbus. The weather was not looking so promising for an outdoors show, but luckily the LC is a convertible pavilion, and they easily flipped the stage around for an indoors show instead.
Mariachi El Bronx, the alter-ego of punk rockers The Bronx, opened to a very enthusiastic crowd. The side project sees them performing acoustic mariachi themed tunes. The fusion of punk sensibilities and the south of the border instruments sounded fantastic, and the audience loved every minute.
Gogol Bordello came on stage next. The gypsy themed punk rock outfit hails from New York and mashes up a variety of instruments and musical styles.
Lead singer Eugene Hutz carried a bottle of wine throughout the show and from time to time sloshed it around into the audience who didn’t seem to mind at all.
In a standout moment of the entire evening, the band ripped into fan-favorite “Start Wearing Purple”.
At the climax of the song, Eugene informed the crowd that “This motherfuckin’ professor right here is about to play you the precise motherfuckin’ frequency of purple!”
The professor being Sergey Ryabtsev on violin and backing vocals, who proceeded to do just that. It sounded nonsensical, but just right at the same time.
Finally, Flogging Molly rounded out the night. This seven piece Irish punk group hails from L.A., and is fronted by Dave King. They feature banjo, accordion, violin as well as more traditional rock instruments. In the grand tradition of Irish drinking songs, they are now and forever more going to be my go-to band for nights when I’ve had a few too many.
The crowd went wild when King informed them they were about to be treated to a brand new song by the name of “Guns of Jericho”. The band was drinking Guinness on stage all evening, and I felt the urge to get myself one after the show.
