Goose Show Review - 5/4/21 Showtime at the Drive-In, Frederick, MD

This review was written as a companion to the Summer Tour 2021 Leg One write-up in the El Goose Times Tour Edition Volume 2.

Taking the stage right at ticket time, Goose delivered two full sets of pure fire on May 4th to make up for the rain-shortened show the previous night. Beginning with a breezy Time to Flee, the first set was all about high energy. A stellar segue and build from All I Need into Flodown was still just a taste of what was to come as Peter flexed his newly expanded keyboard rig again and again. After a fantastic debut cover of Doctor My Eyes, Rich began to strum the familiar opening chords to Arcadia as Peter’s subtle synth rose in the background. The jam began with some stop/start clav action as Trevor dropped bomb after bomb before Peter jumped over to the piano and Spuds upped the intensity, beginning to bring the jam to a boil. Rick hopped directly onto his new wah pedal and began to rip out hot lick after hot lick, driving the jam forward with tension-filled riffs. The shredding continued as Jeff’s percussion shedding became increasingly evident in his superb conga and shaker work. After what seemed like 25 minutes of building, Goose peaked Arcadia in a spectacular fashion and sent the Maryland crowd into setbreak with heightened anticipation of the second set to come. Opening up with Creatures, the quintet immediately showed that the trend of Ted-like jams would continue from the previous night as they eschewed the usual Type I jam in favour of a deep and buttery groove led by Peter’s Vintage Vibe electric piano and Rick’s superb rhythm guitar work before the guitarist really began to stretch out and build the jam to a rolling boil accentuated beautifully by Jeff’s tambourine. Post-peak, the jam moved into a distinctly spacey Ted motif, where they would comfortably hang out for the remainder of Creatures’ 24 minutes. A clear contender for one of the best jams Goose has ever played, this second set opener left jaws on the floor all around the venue. After a quick breather in Your Ocean, the band launched right into a Tumble that didn’t hit any of the spacey Ted jams like Creatures but was no less impressive. Showcasing yet again their prowess at tension and release jams, this near-20 minute powerhouse brought Frederick back to a high-energy frenzy. The show then closed with Seekers on the Ridge and Slow Ready (with jam!), bringing the first full show of 2021 to an end. With three more left in the leg, Goose pulled out of Frederick in their new tour bus riding a high off developing a new jamming style that would come to great fruition in Charleston and Pelham.