On August 23rd, 2006, Beirut ran the show and took charge of Washington, D.C. with the live presentation of "Gulag Orkestar" at the intimate Warehouse Next Door space. In a wait for the doors that rivaled the great wait for tickets for the Grateful Dead at Radio City Music Hall in the Autumn of 1980, the show sold out instantly at around 150 people. Maybe another one or two hundred people were turned away at the door. I hadn't seen that type of frenzied enthusiasm in some time. However, for Beirut, this is becoming a regular occurrence as fans clamor to see this new band.

Listen to:
from the Warehouse Next Door in Washington, D.C.

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Listen to our exclusive interview with Zach Condon from that show.

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This show had a very special feel to it, like being part of a rising phenomenon. Zach Condon - the 20 year-old who is Beirut by way of Greenpoint, Brooklyn by way of Albuquerque, New Mexico - certainly is a young, modern marvel. Innocence and worldliness combine to form a special place. Condon has managed to cause quite a stir recently in the American rock & roll underground. Condon takes his cue from traditional Romanian and Serbian music and blends it with influences such as Neutral Milk Hotel, The Magnetic Fields, and The Talking Heads and comes up with music and an atmosphere that is truly fantastic and moving. Beirut sounds simultaneously olden and completely fresh --how's that ? Zach Condon totally has it going on folks, that's how.

The most amazing thing about Beirut live is the displaying of the multi-instrumentalism. Each band member, it seemed, played at least three different instruments each. And Condon's voice, when he sang for each song, sounded starry and primary. Zach Condon just has an incredible voice that is very emotive.

The set featured the songs on "Gulag Orkestar" (Ba Da Bing Records, 2006).

Throughout the show, whenever the horn section went into action, the crowd freaked. When he performed "Postcards From Italy" and the horns kicked in,the whole crowd suddenly experienced a triumphant and victorious sensation that had the feeling of trophy-winning. During the encore of a couple of old Serbian folk songs, the crowd went all zany.

I am very excited about the possibilities of future Beirut recordings. This was one of the best and most exciting shows that I have ever seen. It was truly a moment.

Enjoy the following Interview and Live Set from August 23rd, 2006 at the Warehouse Next Door in Washington D.C..
Thank You: Ben Goldberg, Zach Condon, Jon Natchez, Amanda Colbenson.

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