Goose returned to SPAC last night for their second of two nights, absolutely torching the shed with a great first set and an all-timer second set highlighted by a pair of pantheon-level jams and impeccable song choices.
Chillier weather and some rain couldn’t keep the energy down as the band took the stage, the huge crowd greeting them with a big cheer as they kicked into “Atlas Dogs,” the first performance in its “Indie-Groove” arrangement since October 11, 2022. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the slower version when it first debuted, last night’s hit the right spot and was an excellent way to get the show started.
“Lead Up” saw guitarist Rick Mitarotonda unleash some hot licks within his rocking solo ahead of “Earthling or Alien?” Diving headlong into a minimalist funk groove, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach activated some crunchy clav as percussionist Jeff Arevalo punctuated drummer Cotter Ellis’ groove with well-timed hits.
Mitarotonda and Anspach eventually both turned on sharp envelope filters, battling it out with some grimy tones in the churning space. The intensity ramped up into a rocking progression as Mitarotonda’s effects got synthier and more vicious for a while before the musicians came down to earth with clean tones and piano, working to an excellent peak and returning to the song’s conclusion.
The first cover of The National’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio” in nearly a year was a treat, burning within the venue as the band blazed through one of their best covers.
Improvisational spaces opened up once again as “Big Modern!” got its second outing, following up the massive 36-minute version in Holmdel with a more concise rendition. This was my first time seeing the song and I was immediately hooked by its catchy riffs and lyrics (forever with a view!), plus the heavy metal-style breakdown in the middle absolutely CRUSHES live.
The jam kicked off with a steady choogle, Anspach’s punchy electric piano tones quickly pivoting into piano as Mitarotonda activated a slightly dissonant flanger effect to build tension. Ellis pushed forward out of the choogle and into a more driving motif, Mitarotonda and Anspach locking in on a repeating riff for a spell before the keyboardist switched to aggressive comping.
Hitting a sustained high-energy peak, the band cooled off and rolled into the composed ending to “Big Modern!,” its changes bearing a distinct resemblance to the “So Ready” jam as they pushed forward and blew up one final blast of darkness before heading into the catchy chorus.
“The Old Man’s Boat” offered a nice breather – and jammed again finally! – before the band tapped “Hot Tea” to close the set. It was an all-out party vibe as Arevalo went ham on his percussion setup through the extended jam.
“You guys pondering those orbs?” asked Weekz as the band emerged for the second frame. Arevalo commented that “phase three begins now” before Goose ripped into the expected “Hungersite” opener.
A vocal flub from Mitarotonda aside, the band plunged into the jam with purpose, quickly heading in a different direction than the long Type I peak section we’ve seen in most recent versions. Ellis pushed the tempo from the start as Weekz grooved in, his subtle envelope filter poking through the mix at key points.
The bassist introduced a major modulation after only a little bit of in-the-box play, joining Mitarotonda and Anspach in some excellent interplay. Dancing around each other’s riffs, the band searched for the riff that would dominate the next part of the jam, eventually settling into a gorgeous bliss mode.
Decisively taking the lead, Mitarotonda latched onto Weekz’ progression and began to soar upward, pulling melody after melody from the air as the emotional jam continued. This is one of those moments where all you can really do is listen in awe to the sheer beauty of the jam happening in front of you – Mitarotonda’s ability to craft melodic phrases of this level is just astounding.
After a couple minutes of peaking, the guitarist began to come down from the bliss zone, leading the band into a simmering groove that began a long-form build. Arevalo added accents as Anspach switched to repeating vamps, building tension and energy as the quintet flowed as one.
Ellis seemed to be everywhere on his kit at once, adding perfect cymbal hits to his pocket as Anspach pivoted to marimba. Weekz added some heavy watery riffs as Mitarotonda found a new repeating riff to build off of, leading the drums to switch into a speedy drive.
Anspach turned to phaser piano, one of my recent favourite additions to his toolbox of effects, giving the already-ripping jam a new dimension as Mitarotonda resisted the urge to go full guitar god, following Weekz into a new chord progression.
Confidence on full display, there was not a single drop of hesitation or apprehension in any member of the band, locking in and finally bursting forth from build into peak as Arevalo entered the fray on tambourine.
Anspach bounced up and down on his stool, joy evident at the incredible jam being played as the band blew through the peak and Mitarotonda led the way into a brief foray with dark jamming, Weekz keeping things heavy as they obliterated a hard-rock ending. 25 minutes of pure, condensed Goose at its best.
Landing in “Give it Time,” one of the band’s best singalongs ensued as a perfect breather before Goose tapped “Drive” as the next big jam of the show.
After a disappointingly jamless version in Holmdel last weekend, the band more than made up for it with one of the best jams of the year (and maybe ever?). The song proper was destroyed at a speedy tempo followed by Mitarotonda burning down the shed with his head-banging solo.
The band set off into dual-guitar funk to begin the jam, Anspach hammering some excellent rhythmic funk chords in tandem with Mitarotonda, the two guitarists playing off each other beautifully in the propulsive zone.
Beginning to drift into a more mellow major key, Anspach turned to the OB-6 and within seconds became the focal point of the jam. Layering in a thick bed of fuzzy synthesizer, the band pivoted from speedy funk to deep Ted Tapes-style improv in just a few seconds.
Heavy Vintage Vibe chords entered the fray next as Ellis continued to slow the jam, Mitarotonda dialing heavy reverb and pushing out some searching riffs. Like a “Dragonfly” intro, the band luxuriated in the open space, committing to patience and quieter dynamics for an extended spell.
Mitarotonda’s riffs lifted forth and returned to an emotive zone somewhere between melancholic and joyous, the guitarist eventually landing on a melody akin to the final peak of 2023’s “Hungersalt,” only slower and even more beautiful. Ellis pivoted from his heavy cymbal hits to brief snare-rim taps and then to a power-rock build, all while Anspach continued to lay into his Vibe.
Power. That’s the best word to describe the end of this “Drive,” a piece of music so stunningly beautiful that describing and capturing the essence of it seems impossible – listening now for the fourth time as I write this, it feels just as fresh and incredible as being in the presence of the jam as it was happening last night. As I mentioned when talking about the “Hungersite” earlier in the show, Mitarotonda has a way of eliciting intense emotions with his playing and he poured his heart and soul into the final section of the “Drive,” bringing the energy higher and higher, varying his base riff and building off it in different directions before returning home to the hook every so often.
This, right here, is why we Goose.
Ending the peak at just the right moment, the band cooled and Ellis began a pulsating dance beat that Mitarotonda weaved straight into the beginning of “Sinnerman,” marking the Nina Simone cover’s first play since May 2, 2023 (87 shows).
As Anspach remarked before the encore, the set closer resulted in an all-out dance party on a level that I’ve seen at few shows, everybody absolutely getting down to the powerful song and crushing jam. Ellis deserves a ton of the credit for this one, his tight playing making it impossible to stand still as Goose brought the all-timer second set to a close with a volcanic peak.
Opening the encore with “So Ready,” it seemed we were in for a standard – albeit high-energy – close to the weekend, but the band dropped a surprise choice of “Zalt” (new name – again!) in lieu of the “satellite” duelling guitar solos. With some new lyrics, this highly-anticipated return of the song formerly known as “SALT’ and “STL” absolutely crushed in the encore slot – this song can easily be the quick five-minute closer it was last night, but also has the potential to be a huge jam vehicle.
Time will tell how this weekend at SPAC ages – but I’m inclined to say that it’s up there with the best two-show runs in Goose history. The venue clearly means so much to the band and they came out both nights with purpose, intent, and a readiness to dive headlong off the deep end into some of the greatest improv we’ve heard from the band.
Tour heads down the east coast to Charlottesville tomorrow night before the Midwest leg kicks off with three nights in Chicago on Wednesday. After a whirlwind ten shows in eleven nights, I’m heading home (not for long) with a heart full of gratitude for all the amazing music I’ve had the opportunity to witness over the first week of this tour and a ton of anticipation for what’s to come.
See you at Salt Shed!
I am obsessed with this version of Drive. There is a moment late in the jam where I expected Rick to just flip the switch into his usual peaking, destroy-the-world mode. Which would’ve been fine. But instead the retained the essence of the quieter part of the jam in a more modest but highly musical buildup to the end. Wow!
I love reading your reviews. Especially when I'm in one or two of your photos!