Goose Show Review - 10/8/22 Austin, TX

The quintet's debut at the legendary Stubb's

Heading into the final week of the Dripfield Fall Tour, Goose took over the legendary Stubb’s in Austin last night for an ACL late-night performance that also sets the stage for the band’s two performances at the festival itself.

I was lucky enough to be in attendance along with my parents and little brother, and we settled into a great spot right in front of the soundboard for the show.

The tightly packed crowd was energetic from the first notes of the opening “Echo of a Rose” as the band grooved through a compact 11-minute version of the song. The second play of recently debuted original “Everything Must Go” displayed Goose’s ever-evolving songwriting as the audience ate up every note of the upbeat tune.

My brother’s most sought-after song came next, an energetic “Red Bird” in which drummer Ben Atkind seemed to hint at a slower take on his distinctive “Dripfield” beat after the signature Straight Bird’n singalong.

A quick cooldown in the form of a strong cover of Jim James’ “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” acted as a bridge to the penultimate song of the set, “Animal”. A song that quickly became a fan favourite after its debut in June, it has been evolving from a short dance party to a LONGER dance party via extended jams. Sticking firmly in the jam’s key of F, a bright and energetic theme developed and drove to numerous peaks before coming home to finish.

A surprise guest spot came next, with Big Boi, Sleepy Brown, and DJ Cutmaster Swift joining Goose onstage for a cover of Outkast’s “So Fresh, So Clean”, which the venue absolutely went wild for. An awesome and fun way to close out the first set.

For the second set opener, we were treated to an 18-minute “Creatures” that was just an absolute dance party, containing really strong interplay between Rick and Peter. “Fish in the Sea”, one of my favourite Goose covers and one I had really been hoping for, came next, ahead of the night’s second guest spot – Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes sitting in on drums for “Rockdale”. Griffin took over Jeff’s spot on stage as the multi-instrumentalist picked up Peter’s guitar for the tune.

A blazing “Yeti” and an emotionally soaring “726” came next before Peter announced that the band would be opting for a “noncore”, ripping directly into “The Empress of Organos”. Empress is one of my absolute favourite songs and I went WILD for it (and so did everyone else).

While last night at Stubb’s didn’t contain the deep improv we’ve seen at other shows this tour, it was a Saturday night party show at a legendary venue where band and crowd alike were having an absolute blast. They might need a bigger venue next time they play in Austin…

See you tonight at ACL!