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What a great concert performed by Goran Bregović and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra on last saturday in the México City Theatre.

Just a few people stayed in their seats, most of the public was singing and dancing in the corridors of the hall. Goran is a great musician, and a great entertainer; he and the vocalist and drummer Alen were smiling the entire concert, and all the band was playing continuously.

They opened with a scherzo, in which the public hears some notes from one brass instrument in the back, and then a second one joins. When you can see the musicians, they are playing while walking to the scenery.

This was the program for the night:

• TDV (The scherzo)
• Uvertira (Karmen)
• Gas-gas (Karmen)
• Ausencia (Underground)
• Maki maki (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Borino oro (Time of the gypsies)
• Mashala (Karmen)
• Svadba (Karmen; I though this song’s name was Bijav)
• So nevo si (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Wedding cocek (Underground)
• Sex (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals; the program states this song, but I didn’t hear it)
• Ne siam kurve tuke sijam prostitutke (Karmen)
• Aven Ivenda (Tales and songs from weddings and funerals)
• Koferi (Karmen)
• Ringe ringe raja (Underground; in the program this song was named “Twist”)
• Prawo do Lewego (Originally he sings this song in duet with the polish singer Kaya)
• In the deathcar (Arizona dream; this is a very nice adaptation in which Goran sings, Alen follows with a rythmic low percussion and Bokan Stankovic -I think- plays trumpet, replacing the mandolins from Iggy-Pop’s version)
• Ederlezi (Time of the gypsies)
• Mesecina (Underground)

Then all the band left the scene, but came back after the public didn’t stop asking for more. They closed with Kalasnjikov; here’s a video taken by someone who went to the first concert, the one performed on friday 18 (saturday concert was very similar):

It was impossible for me to take pictures or video (there was a guy asking everybody to shut off their cameras and cellphones), but I used my camera to record some songs.

Enjoy them!

• Mesecina
• Cajesukarije cocek

UPDATE: I’ve just added a post about this trip to Mexico City on my family blog.

I’ll have the chance to be in a Goran Bregović concert for the second time: The first time was when he and his Wedding and Funeral Band came to Monterrey for the Universal Forum of Cultures, back in September 2007, and that was the best concert I’ve been ever.

Well, Mr. Bregović and his band will perform in México City on april 19 (he almost make it for my birthday!), and Daya and me will be there. My good friends Daniela, Victor and Nathan will come too.

For those of you who haven’t heard Bregović’s music before, I can tell you he is best known for his soundtracks for movies like Underground, Arizona Dream and Queen Margot, although he has some very good albums not made for films. His music has gypsy instrumentation, and the energy of the Balkans.

Here’s the video of Kalasnjikov; this song is usually the encore on his concerts.