When offered the unique opportunity to view a special screening of the new 3D concert experience “Larger Than Life” starring Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper and Relentless7 and also Gogol Bordello, one would be hard-pressed to turn it down. So, needless to say last night I sauntered into the Charles Aidikoff screening room in Beverly Hills around 9pm with about 25 other eager attendees. As we opened our packages of 3D glasses and found our seats, there was a quiet hush as I’m sure no one really knew what to expect. Before the lights went down, the heads of each company involved with the production came in to say their peace. The general theme of each introduction was this was not a film about a concert. This was, in fact, a concert experience. We were even encouraged to “explore the space,” (queue Will Ferrell and cowbell). They were adamant that we respond to each performance in the same manner we would had we been attending the concert in person. Now, I’m all for diving headfirst into the groove as much as the next person, but unless you’re providing some alcoholic beverages and thousands of people to get uncomfortably acquainted with, don’t be shocked to find me watching this film any differently than I would any other.
Glasses on. The lights dim. Enter Gogol Bordello at the New Jersey All Points West Music and Arts Festival. If you don’t know who Gogol Bordello is, they are a band out of the lower east side of New York City. Formed in 1999, the group is famous for their high energy and theatrical stage shows. Talk about an understatement. This band has more energy than a five year old on taurine. They don’t just come out on stage, they explode on the scene. With each band member vying for the adoration of the audience, yet somehow simultaneously working as a team and reveling in each other’s stage activities, Gogol Bordello is a spectacle for the senses. There are violinists, accordion players, bongos, there are even cute girls running around with daisy duke shorts banging cymbals and screaming “oi!” at the top of their lungs. Point being, they have a little something for everyone. This audience is as devoted to the band as any large group of people can be to a rag-tag group of gypsies playing punk rock. This is, without a doubt, the highest quality of film that you can possibly wrap your mind around. It is as realistic as it can get, without buying a ticket to the show. I couldn’t shake the goose bumps during a few key moments. There was one girl in the front row of the audience who’s on the shoulders of someone for the entirety of the performance. She’s donning overalls with no shirt underneath (don’t get too excited, she has the body and bust of a pre-pubescent male teen), but she is constantly waving this red scarf. The red is like blood. You’ve never seen a red like this on screen. Other highlights from this portion of the film include vocal solos by the salt and pepper-haired violinist , Sergey Ryabtsev. His raspy voice is a warm and weathered reminder that old people can rock just as hard (or harder) than the young. Frontman Eugene Hutz has commandeered the stage for this particular performance and holds the microphone with such ferocity and force, you find yourself pitying it. He is beyond charismatic and it’s virtually impossible to take your eyes off of him.
They play only about three or four songs before we’re whisked away to the Mile High Music Festival in Denver where we catch a glimpse of Ben and his Relentless7 having a chat before climbing the stairs to their given stage. Upon setting one foot within view of the masses, the crowd goes wild. The set is probably my least favorite of the three, due to the fact that Ben is sitting for the majority of it and rarely engages with his band mates (but I suppose I can’t blame him, he’s playing the lap guitar). But if you see this film, you’ll quickly realize why I feel this way. Other than some choice shots of percussionist Jordan Richardson’ s stomach peeking out of his baby t-shirt and some good tunes, not much of this particular performance stood out. Sorry Ben, I found myself longing for the good old minutes where I had the pleasure of Eugene Hutz throwing red wine at the front row. I will say though, that this portion of the film sets Dave Matthews Band up perfectly.
Ok, DMB. I get it. You sell out the biggest arenas on earth. And now I know why. It’s not that I’m the biggest Dave fan you’ll ever meet, but it’s just that I’ll never be able to see Dave, Carter and the rest of the crew in this format again. Did I fail to mention that this movie is only running for one week? The 360 degree views allow you to soak in every smirk, smile and two-legged shuffle he graciously gives. Throughout this performance, you will see countless moments of interaction between him and his musically-talented companions. From mimicking his trumpet-player’s blowfish face to just losing all inhibition and dancing an erratic jig, he proves that doing what you love for a living is the greatest gift of all. You can’t help but just smile through this. This was the segment of the film that my fellow viewers and I had the most fun with. We clapped at the end of each performance, laughed when Dave goofed off and were moved by the power of every single performance. They started off by playing some of their newest material from the 2009 album “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.” I forgot how quirky Dave is and was reminded of it right during his short intro to one of the songs when he explained “uh…uh…this son’s called ‘Seven’ and I like it a lot.” During the performance of “Why I Am” the entire audience would scream at the top of their lungs whenever the lyric “still here dancing with the GrooGrux King” an homage to the late Leroi. Toward the middle of the set, they started playing the classics such as “Ants Marching,” “So Much to Say” and even an incredible cover of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.”
See this film if you’re a fan of live music. See this film if you enjoy any one of the artist’s showcased. I’ve probably given entirely too many details, but if you actually see it for yourself, you can still be pleasantly surprised by the 3D aspects of it. The wayward beach ball may just catch you off-guard.
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