My ongoing quest to attend 1,000 shows this summer led me to the Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side this past Tuesday night, to enjoy the politically charged, anthemic sounds of the Flobots. LES is an area that the National Trust for Historic Preservation considers one of “America’s most endangered places”, as it seems to have one foot in the 21st century and the other in Tin Pan Alley. You can clock in a full day of radical activism at ABC No Rio and then meet your conservative grandparents for the Early Bird Special at Katz’s Deli on the way home. The diversity of the LES is matched only by Flobots’ ever-growing, heterogeneous fanbase. Their burgeoning popularity throughout the year that’s been built upon their explosive single “Handlebars” and infamous socially conscious lyrics all crescendo with an inspiring, powerhouse performance only fit for New York.  

With drinks in everyone’s hands, the Insurgent Six took to the stage and immediately fed off of the crowd’s vivacious energy. Violist Mackenzie Roberts set the tone for the whole show with a solo at the start of their one-minute intro, “There’s a War Going on For Your Mind”, and MC Jonny 5 started waving his hand back and forth in first down fashion, encouraging the crowd to join in with him for the remainder of the evening. Meanwhile, his fellow MC, Brer Rabbit, enticed the crowd and stimulated ruckus applause: “This is a very special time for us. Because every time we’re in New York it’s a very special time!” The band tore through standout cuts like “Stand Up”, “Same Thing” and “Anne Braden” living up to their hype as a standout, daring live act.  

They presented an egalitarianism among its members that is so rare to find these days. In their bass-heavy track the spotlight shone on drummer, Kenny Ortiz, as he broke out into a 30 second solo that expressed his creativity. Roberts even uncharacteristically gave her fingers a rest and took the mike for an explosive version of “Never Had It.” Their “Happy Together” cover, featured bassist, Jesse Walker, singing the chorus solo and had the fans jumping up and down in unison. Flobots instrumental teamwork mirrors their larger philosophy: The best way to inspire creativity and change is if everyone works together.  

In that same vein, Brer went into detail about fellow MC Jonny 5’s signature American flag bandana that he rocks around his neck.  “His neckwear represents the future. People in this room must fight with tools to make the future of America happen right now!” That mini political rant served as a segue for their “Iraq rap”, a track yet to be recorded yet that has gained considerable notoriety from their live shows. Jonny pointed to a poster of I-R-A-Q, passionately using it as an acronym when delivering the chorus: It’s really a quagmire, implicating the pitfalls of the Bush administration. “For any human beings in Iraq,” he clarified after the performance, “we want them safe and we want them home”. For one of the crowd favorites, “Rise”, both MCs turned their mikes out to the audience as everyone chanted along together at the close of the song, capping off their hardy, progressive performance.

After the show, Roberts wanted to be clear with me that the band is not in favor of promoting or slandering any politician by name. “The bigger message that the album tries to get across,” she relayed only half-convincingly, “is that there’s a war going on for your mind and if you’re thinking then you’re winning.” After a little bit of prodding she conceded “it’s no secret where we fall on the political spectrum”. My guess is as good as yours, but it’s safe to say that they won’t be on the bill for the Republican National Convention later this month. But they’ll continue to tour around the country promoting their ‘bias-free’ agenda throughout the summer delivering knockout performances regardless of the state’s political tendencies.

- Noah Gorsky