Show Review - Goose 2/11/25 Toronto, ON

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Goose returned to HISTORY in Toronto last night for their second of two sold-out shows, once again drawing in an audience of first-time attendees who all left the show blown away and ready to hop on tour – at least that was the prevailing sentiment among pretty much everyone I spoke to while walking out last night.

“Butter Rum” made a relatively rare appearance in the opening slot last night, digging into an upbeat disco groove almost immediately thanks to drummer Cotter Ellis and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach’s bouncy Vintage Vibe electric piano work. Guitarist Rick Mitarotonda layered on some spacey chords to take the jam down as Anspach brought in some synth textures, beginning to float away from the song proper as the improvisational gears were activated early.

Anspach moved over to some punchy marimba piano as the jam progressed, keeping the synth drone going for a spacier vibe as Mitarotonda’s playing got more insistent, the guitarist eventually pulling the band into a cool progression as they drove to the first big peak of the night.

The disco vibes continued through “I Would Die 4 U,” the always-reliable Prince cover making an early appearance before the band slowed things down with an explosive “Bob Don,” complete with the psychedelic “With” outro jam. This song is always just pure rock and roll, and the dual-guitar combo during Mitarotonda’s solo was absolutely incredible last night.

“Seekers on the Ridge” offered a breather and another absolutely scorching guitar solo with its dual parts before the band launched into a vicious “Rockdale,” marking the first repeat of winter tour. A relatively concise version like last week’s in Milwaukee, this “Rockdale” was marked by some snarling licks from Mitarotonda that came very close to Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker.”

“Echo of a Rose” brought back the jamming toward the end of the set, taking off into an airy space with sparkling runs on piano by Anspach, Mitarotonda setting up his trademark reverse-delay loops overtop of the groove. From there, the band coalesced into a gorgeous bliss space, melody after melody pouring out of the guitar as they hit a collective, early peak.

Turning up the heat and getting into a Type II groove from there, Anspach laid down some propulsive piano over a synth drone as Mitarotonda probed the space, engaging in several minutes of back-and-forth play that eventually took on a more aggressive tone as Mitarotonda augmented his tone. This was not to last, however, as the band brought things back to a brighter space before segueing smoothly into Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” to bring the first set to a close.

Coming back from the break, the band tapped “Arcadia to open the second set for the first time since March 28, 2023 – an absolutely massive call that gave them plenty of time to stretch out on the quintessential Goose original.

Anspach led the way into the funk with delayed clav work and then phased-out chords, Mitarotonda hanging back in some minimalist riffing including a tease of Ted Tapes 2024 cut “Nebula,” just unhurriedly riffing within the pocket laid down by Ellis and bassist Trevor Weekz.

Infusing the jam with some floaty Moog Muse tones, Anspach lifted things from straight funk with a patch similar to the Prophet one he used during the 11/17/22 Fairfax “Arcadia.” The keyboardist began to double his repetitive hypnotic riff on clav and synth while Mitarotonda let loose reverb-drenched leads in the background.

One of the best things about an “Arcadia” that isn’t snuck in before an impending curfew is the patience the band seems to exhibit every time, letting the music unfold and draw them to inspiration rather than trying to find it more decisively. Last night’s jam was no different, as Mitarotonda picked the perfect moment to surge forward into a lead role, getting the energy amped up.

Building some tension, Anspach and Mitarotonda linked up on a two-chord jam that just brought things into a psychedelic ragefest, the rising wave of synth coming in under the guitarist’s waves of wah leads. Breaking into a full peak from there, Anspach brought in siren sounds as everybody in the venue locked in on the absolutely volcanic peak that was unfolding in front of us.

Hitting the apex, the band didn’t miss a beat and flowed right into a patient take on the classic “Arcadia” ending, letting loose the incredible catharsis that musical moment always carries, finishing with massive cheers from the packed room.

“Feel it Now” kept the energy up with a disco dance party, Ellis covering absent percussionist Jeff Arevalo’s conga part on hi-hat to the best of his ability, but the hand drums definitely felt missing from the song.

The highlight of the set came next with “Rosewood Heart,” coming back after the longest gap in the song’s history at 21 shows – last played on October 29^th in Miami. The band wasted no time before diving off the deep end, eschewing the song’s typical gorgeous build in favour of a propulsive and more funk-oriented groove.

Anspach led the charge into this vein with some staccato work on a cool upright piano patch (as opposed to his usual grand), Ellis quickly following his lead and shaping his beat to match the energy. Mitarotonda bobbed and weaved with assertive leads before switching to speedy funk vamping, alternating between rhythm and lead in his distinctive style as Ellis propelled things with a driving beat.

Sitting in this zone for several minutes, the band hit a strong peak before cooling off and taking a turn into an evil-tinged zone at Mitarotonda’s urging, Anspach layering in deep piano chords as the next idea took shape.

Getting heavier and increasing the intensity with each passing minute, Goose destroyed the most adventurous “Rosewood” since 2023 with the rapt attention of the crowd before jumping into “Hot Tea” without missing a beat. Once again a perfect song for those who are more unfamiliar with the band, this dance party song went over great with the Toronto crowd.

Hinting at some extended jam territory with unique (at least for “Tea”) grooves, the band instead faded into a cool-down of “Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis,” an amazing and relatively rare Tom Waits cover that bridged the gap into a welcome surprise set closer of “Factory Fiction,” which was a welcome treat for us and the band blasted through an incredible and incendiary peak to finish out the final set in Toronto.

Anspach thanked the crowd before the encore with a promise of a Canadian return soon before the band took us home with “Shama Lama Ding Dong” into the ending of “Hot Tea.”

While the two midweek Toronto shows may not have completely blown the doors off our perception of what this band can do like Milwaukee did, they had the very important task of hooking a ton of new fans in a new market – and that paid off in spades.

Extremely grateful for these two hometown shows and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us this weekend in Grand Rapids! Watch the tour-closing run exclusively for nugs All Access subscribers starting tomorrow night.