Show Review - 6/21/24 Atlanta, GA
On night two in Atlanta, Goose crafted a nearly flawless setlist for an absolute RAGER, ripping an incredible Friday night show for the capacity crowd at the Fox Theatre.
The night began with the first “The Killing Moon” since last fall, demonstrating its exemplary status as an opener, setting a gritty tone that would show up again a number of times throughout the night.
“Elizabeth” got us choogling next and the band laid down a great version of the song – as of late, they’ve been covering an incredible amount of improvisational ground in a relatively short 9-12 minutes. The energy inside the Fox on Friday night was one of the loudest experiences I’ve ever had at the show, and the peak of “Liz” had the entire room shaking from the sheer power of the interaction between the band and crowd – and this would happen again several times through the show.
“Dr. Darkness” featured an incendiary guitar solo from Rick Mitarotonda before percussionist Jeff Arevalo fronted the band on “Rock The Casbah.” This was a turning point in the night for him, as he proceeded to play his ass off on drums for the remainder of the show.
When “Drive” kicked off, we all knew it was on and the jams were imminent. Mitarotonda has a tendency to activate his wah pedal during a solo when he’s really feeling it, and the initial section of this song had some heavy usage before the band departed into the charging jam.
Mitarotonda used some “digital sauce” early on – his new synth pedal – as Peter Anspach funked up some rhythm guitar work. Drummer Cotter Ellis dug into the pocket with bassist Trevor Weekz as they created a solid foundation for the two guitarists to work over, Anspach making sounds that made it seem as though he was working one of his synthesizers, though it was purely textural guitar work.
Some staccato delays began to lift the music from straight “Drive” as the quintet locked in on some serious grooves. Quieting down and making a major-key modulation thanks to Mitarotonda, Anspach switched to keys and laid down some gentle riffing, giving Weekz an opportunity to step to the front with some bubbly notes. Anspach and Mitarotonda’s interplay this tour has been off-the-charts amazing and the two musicians danced around each other’s riffs as Ellis slowly led the band into a more mellow space.
Several minutes of sustained bliss followed before an amazing segue into “Bob Don.” Mitarotonda took another ridiculously good guitar solo before the band led into an explosive “Everything Must Go” to close the set.
In its second consecutive appearance as a first set closer, “EMG” continues to be one of my absolute favourite Goose songs, and this quick version was a perfect way to close the frame. The real stars here were Ellis and Arevalo, both during the drum break and jam, both of them playing their hearts out to take us into setbreak.
Coming back from the break, I figured we were in for a massive “Hungersite” immediately, and Goose proceeded to blow the roof off (sensing a trend?) with an amazing version of the song. The crowd sang along to every word and poured energy out toward the band as the jam began, egging Mitarotonda on further and further as the guitarist sported a shit-eating grin through peak after peak after peak. Some of his best guitar playing of the whole run took place here as the rest of the band teed him up perfectly to unleash on the audience.
Cooling down from the insane burst of ferocity, Goose spent several minutes committed to patience and quieter dynamics with some angular and dissonant work, building up some hits while Ellis held down some snare tapping to keep it from getting too big.
In its first appearance as a second-set breather, “Give it Time” demonstrated once again that it is the song of the summer. Only in its third time being played, it seemed as though everybody in the room knew all the words, belting every lyric with huge smiles and amazing energy.
Speaking of amazing energy, the opening riff to “Thatch” very nearly brought the house down – the crowd roar within two notes of Mitarotonda starting the song was unlike anything I’ve heard at a show (except maybe the reaction to Gamehendge).
Weekz took the lead once the jam kicked off, digging into some absolutely filthy slap work as Anspach dialed in a squelchy OB-6 synth sound. Goose went straight funk on this “Thatch,” Developing into a two-chord jam not unlike “You Enjoy Myself,” Weekz peppered in some “Use Me” teases for good measure. Anspach added in some phaser-heavy Vintage Vibe work before Mitarotonda took control and flamethrowered up to a big peak, once again with heavy wah usage and excellent tension/release.
The show had already been amazing up until that point, and the vibes were kept at the maximum with the Anspach-fronted dance party of “Feel it Now.”
A reworked “726” – faster jam section and ending bass solo – cooled us down and infused some emotion into the set before a punchy “Dripfield” closed the second set with a huge bang. “Turbulence & The Night Rays,” normally a first-set staple, made its debut appearance in the encore and fit the slot perfectly, quieting down and racing to a great peak to end off the night.
With two nights under their belt, Goose was settled in at the Fox and continued to deliver incredible music to the eager audience. One night left!