Gipsy Kings

Kings of New York

New York 

20/09/2000 - 

If the U.S. ever expanded and went from 50 states to 51, Americans would surely name their new state after the Gipsy Kings! For the seven-strong guitar have become to the U.S. what wine and good cheese are to their native France. Needless to say, when the group rounded off their U.S. tour with a concert in New York's Radio City Music Hall, they brought the house down, their powerful Gipsy rhythms silencing the horns of the cabs on one of Manhattan's busiest avenues.

It’s official, the Gipsy Kings have conquered the States! The Gipsies have been greatly in demand of late. In fact, the seven most famous guitarists on the planet were recently invited to perform at THE celebrity wedding of the year. American film star Brad Pitt hired their services (for a mere million dollars!) and the Gipsy Kings ended up serenading Brad and his bride, "Friends" star Jennifer Anniston, when the happy couple tied the knot.

Anyway, back to Radio City Hall! Here we are in New York and, like all self-respecting Frenchmen, our Gipsy friends have decided to turn up late. An MC with a heavy French accent finally takes to the stage at 8.20, announcing the group's imminent arrival: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Gipsy Kings will be appearing on stage tonight with a brand new rhythm section. Hope you enjoy the show!" With that the seven Gipsy Kings file on stage, guitars in hand, taking their place as the brand new rhythm section - keyboards, bass and drums - assemble behind them.

When you've already seen the Gipsy Kings play live you find yourself wondering why the group have suddenly decided to encumber themselves with all these extra instruments. But when you hear the Gipsy Kings accompanied by their new rhythm section for the first time, it's even worse - you can't help thinking that adding anything to those famous guitars is as sacrilegious as adding an ice cube to a vintage claret!
OK, I hate myself for saying it - and I'm not pretending to be the world's greatest connoisseur - but I have to admit that I found myself greatly regretting the addition of this new rhythm section. The keyboards proved to be particularly irritating, their sole purpose appearing to be to add a flourish to the end of certain phrases. But the problem was the keyboards ended up coming across a lot louder than the guitars and, much to everyone's great disappointment, succeeded in drowning out the vocals and the Gipsy Kings' exuberant cries of "lolaï! lolaï!"

Bemused by the group's new sound, the audience spent much of the first half of the concert (a mere 45 minutes long!), torn between the "I'm-staying-in-my-seat-but-that's-not-what-I-came-for" attitude and the "If-the-next-song's-any-good-I'll be-up-on-my feet!" urge. In the end, spurred on by the price they'd paid for their tickets, the Gipsy Kings' international reputation and a desperate need to work off the stress from a day in the office, the audience finally abandoned their seats and began frenziedly gyrating their hips. By the time the MC reappeared on stage, shouting "Ladies and gentlemen, the Gipsy Kings are back!", the energy and verve of the guitars had triumphed over the keyboards and Radio City Hall had succumbed to Gipsy fever.

As the Gipsy Kings powered out their classics Bamboleo, Djobi djoba and Bem Bem Maria, the New York crowd - many of whom had come straight from the office (yes, the interesting fashion combination of suits and trainers gave them away!) - threw themselves into a burst of frenetic Latin-style dancing, stamping their feet and swinging their hips with gay abandon. Looking down from my birds-eye view on the third floor, I couldn't help thinking that the sea of heads bobbing up and down around the stage looked a lot like the waves that lap the Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer shore-line all year round.

Myriem WONG