Gogol Bordello brought the international punk, and the Big Takeover provided the roots reggae for an eclectic night at the Empire State Plaza. Part of their Summer at the Plaza concert series.

Review and Photos by Pat Rogers for NYS Music

Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello at Empire State Plaza (July 16, 2025) – photo by Pat Rogers for NYS Music

By the end of it all, no one looked the same. Shirts clung, faces gleamed, shoes were wrecked. People looked destroyed, yet completely alive. No one wanted to leave. Why would you? That kind of release doesn’t come around often.

– Pat Rogers for NYS Music

Photos of Gogol Bordello by Angela Dimock for 518scene.com

Gogol Bordello at the Empire State Plaza (July 16, 2025) – photo by Angela Dimock for 518scene.com

Photos of the Big Takeover by Angela Dimock for 518scene.com

NeeNee Rushie of the Big Takeover at the Empire State Plaza (July 16, 2025) – photo by Angela Dimock for 518scene.com

Review by Adem Jones / Photos by Debi Gustafson for Metroland Now

I mean, it was so bizarre in the best possible way. An accordion player? Reggae-punk with violinists? A full mosh pit at the Empire State Plaza? It sounds fake, like some big hallucination, but that was Wednesday night in Albany. Even more, that was just another day for Gogol Bordello.

– Adem Jones for Metroland Now