Goose again took the stage at The National to complete a back-to-back in Richmond, VA, their tour bus never budging from its parking space adjacent to the storied Broad Street theater. A majority of the same patrons would return to confront the intricate labyrinth of hallways and hidden spaces that the historic and enigmatic venue continued to reveal on night two, though for present purposes some secrets are better left experienced than told.
The general admission space was dense with bodies and the crowd struggled to find its footing through an opening run of âButterfliesâ and âTurbulence & The Night Raysâ. An extended âDriveâ did its level best to open things up, but the jam failed to turn the room before guitarist Rick Mitarotonda took over to engage the crowd. An earnest cover of Tom Waitsâs âGun Street Girlâ followed before the eveningâs real storyline began to unfold.
Goose â “Butterfies” [Pro-Shot] â 9/30/22
Lighting director Andrew Goeddeâs swirling rainbows ushered in an ever-vibrant âButter Rumâ, succeeding where its predecessors failed as tropical dance and toothy smiles broke open a room that was otherwise tight, both literally and figuratively. If one were to examine jam vehicles that really stand out time and again, they might notice that when multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach grabs his shell pink antique Suhr Classic guitar, turning Goose into a two-guitar band, sparks really begin to fly. Such was the case when a typically excellent âMadhuvanââan easy top-five Goose songâwas tapped to close the set. With early set memories firmly in the rearview mirror, the final stretch was all it took to send at least one attendee running for a dry change of clothes during intermission.
You say it looks like rain today, but we say, Oh, what a day to be livin’.
After a day of nasty rain associated with Hurricane Ian, the lyrically appropriate âEmpress Of Organosâ bridged the intermission with a second consecutive top-five song, whose lyrics told the only storyline that fans would remember from that wet Virginia day. The nightâs longest jam clocked in just shy of 24 minutes, running the gamut from patient exploration to explosive celebration. A third consecutive top-fiveâthere are more than five, for the recordâcame by way of âBorneâ, a straightforward banger that begat WNRN photographer Jody Carboneâs unsolicited comment, âIâm 60 years old. This is the best band to come around since Talking Heads.â I speak from personal experience when I say heâs not the first and likely wonât be the last to speak boldly of the canât-stop-wonât-stop rising phenom that is Goose.
âHungersiteâ, the second consecutive tune from Dripfield and the fourth consecutive top-five song followed. Mitarotonda was flying again, primal and fierce on lead guitar as he alone became the headline on a set already heading straight for the record books. After a seamless transition into a cover of Kylieâs âCanât Get You Out Of My Headâ, the band rode one of the most successful singles of the 2000s to improvisational heights that the mononymous Princess of Pop (or the songâs actual writers, Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis) definitely couldnât have conjured in her wildest dreams.
Rick utilized auto-tuned vocals to great effect (haters gonna hate), before the jam turned savage, then dark, and then back again while bearing little to no resemblance to the number one single from which it came. To revisit the age-old “Is Goose a jam band?” argument, when you canât remember what song youâre listening to more often than not, then the answer is probably “yes.” To be sure, hasty jam-of-the-year contenders like this are exactly why I Goose.
After walking off stage in a haze of production smoke and reverb, Goose returned under the same cover of darkness, Peter twisting dials on his Moog as he tweaked the soundscapes before the band picked up a âHot Teaâ encore, another top-five entry in an all-timer of a set. An old school âTeaâ with a new school vibe, Goose dialed it down to channel the top-down convertible vibes called for by Dripfield producer D. James Goodwin before shifting into high gear once again to bring the show to a breathless close.
Friday’s four-song second set and encore bring to mind a quote now gaining serious legs in Goose lore: “Every show is the best show since the last show until the next show.”
Check out a gallery of photos from Goose at The National in Richmond, VA courtesy of Alexius Lipot and listen to full show audio via Bandcamp in the player below.
Goose tour continues tonight, Saturday, October 1st at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, GA. For tickets and a full list of upcoming shows, visit Goose’s website.
Goose â The National â Richmond, VA â 9/30/22
Setlist: Goose The National | Richmond, VA | 9/30/22
Set 1: Butterflies, Turbulence & The Night Rays, Drive, Gun Street Girl {1}, Butter Rum, Madhuvan
Set 2: The Empress Of Organos, Borne > Hungersite > Canât Get You Out Of My Head {2}
Encore: Hot Tea
{1} Tom Waits
{2} Kylie Minogue
