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The Dresden Dolls Conquer Boston with Gogol Bordello, ENSMB and Johnny Manchild @ The Roadrunner

By Melissa Smith on November 18, 2024

The Dresden Dolls played 2 shows in their hometown of Boston for the first time since 2017. If you have never seen the Dresden Dolls in action, I highly recommend it! They are an experience unlike any other! Seeing them in their hometown with openers (which is rare for them) was a treat! The Roadrunner is a new venue, and it was perfect for this crowd. If there was a theme of the night, it would’ve been a punk rock circus meets angry theater kids.

Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards opened night 1. They hail from OK City. They came out on stage with high energy, obviously having a lot of fun. Their band consisted of a piano player, bass player and a drummer (although they play with up to 6 members at a time depending on the show). Their music is rock with a pop influence. They are a very talented, fun group to watch.

On Night 2 ENSMB opened, and they are as unique as they sound. They are what you get when you cross punk, funk, and metal with a marching band. With more band members than I could count that were constantly all over the stage. They have it all and can appeal to any audience. With all the bands both nights the theme seemed to be high energy and fun, fun, fun!

Both nights Gogol Bordello performed after the opener. This is another band that is very difficult to describe (like the rest of the bands that played these 2 gigs). None of these bands fit into a specific genre, and that makes them more unpredictably fun.

Gogol Bordello (or as I heard someone in the audience affectionately refer to them “Gogol Modelo” – because of the beer that was shaken over the stage each night) are a force on stage. Eugene Hutz raucously jaunts from one side of the stage to the other, while playfully interacting with other band members and the audience. Their colorful band consists of (but is not limited) an accordion player, a violinist, several drummers, many guitars and bass guitars. Eugene announced that most of the band are immigrants, Eugene himself is from Ukraine, with other members from almost every corner of the world. This is a band that you MUST see live to be able to appreciate them fully.

Before the Dresden Dolls set began, they joined Eugene and some of Gogol Bordello onstage for a rendition of Red Right Hand (a Nick Cave cover). The Dresden Dolls wore masks to hide their identity or was it because these shows were days after Halloween and who can resist Halloween fun?

The Dresden Dolls are an amazing live band. They mix theater with punk and call it the punk cabaret. Amanda Palmer pounds on the piano while Brian Viglione keeps up, at times drumming and playing guitar simultaneously. They played some old songs, new songs, and covers (three penny opera anyone?) while keeping the audience fully engaged. They were joined on stage both nights by the opening bands and world renowned singer/performer Veronica Swift.

Since they had reunited with Boston, they played some rarely played songs set in Boston. The Jeep Song and Massachusetts Ave (and Amanda Palmer with the Grand Theft Orchestra song) and Boston.

Night 2 brought an entirely new energy for both Gogol Bordello and the Dresden Dolls. During Gogol Bordello there were mosh pits and crowd surfers. A true punk show! These are bands that you absolutely must see live to truly understand. They have a cult following for a reason. They check every box, theater, rock, metal, punk, pop. Take your friends, your mom and your kids. Everyone will enjoy the show!