Show Review - Goose 4/21/23 Boise, ID
Goose spring tour arrived in Boise, Idaho last night for an intimate show at the Knitting Factory. With a capacity just around 1,000 people and no true balcony seating, it felt like everyone was right up close with the band – a vibe that definitely seemed to influence the music.
An appropriate “Spuds!” chant was started as the band took the stage – acknowledging drummer Ben Atkind’s love of potatoes in a state famous for them.
The first set began with the Peter Anspach-penned “Butterflies,” soaring in with a massive buzzing cloud of guitarist Rick Mitarotonda’s delayed effects. Lighting director Andrew Goedde adapted his rig to the small room with a front-of-stage curtain – only seen once before at the Athens, GA show on 3/28. Sheets of light nearly obscured the band from view as the colours danced in time with the frenetic jam.
The first cover of The Band’s “Look Out Cleveland” since last fall was up next and saw Anspach digging into his clavinet as Mitarotonda shredded some serious funk. The rhythm section of Atkind, percussionist Jeff Arevalo, and bassist Trevor Weekz locked in on the groove as we were treated to yet another tight double-drummer excursion.
Big-time jammer “All I Need” was up next and stretched past the 20-minute mark. Departing the usual structure in favour of a major-key motif similar to Goose’s intro jam to “Crosseyed and Painless,” Anspach stuck to piano instead of his usual back of synth tricks to give the music a more grounded feel. Soaring peak after soaring peak gradually morphed into a more driving and minor-key motif. The intensity continued to grow as Mitarotonda and Anspach found their way onto the intro vamp to “Factory Fiction.” Another screaming peak and a somewhat abrupt return to the song ended off the first set centerpiece.
Ripping into “Jive I” next, Anspach’s ear-to-ear grin was evident during his organ solo even though his back was to the audience. Heavy rock and roll abounded in the ensuing “Bob Don” and one last shredfest was brought out in the set-closing “So Ready” with standout solos from both guitarists.
A short setbreak saw the band return to the stage for a “Drive” second-set opener. This song in particular has been in flux for the past year or so – after removing the “whoa” section and experimenting with different set placements and jam segments, Goose has seemed unsure of what role “Drive” belongs in. For the past few performances, while it has been sadly jamless, it has found a home as a fiery 8-minute rocker that can be sure to up the energy anywhere in the show.
As the energy reached a fever pitch at the height of Mitarotonda’s incendiary “Drive” solo, the quintet started up “Wysteria Lane,” one of their most consistent jam vehicles. Immediately departing the usual peak for a more psychedelic zone, Goedde painted the band in plaid-like patterns as Anspach laid down thick layers of Vintage Vibe. Positioned where I was close to the middle of the venue, I was able to experience the full effect of the stereo vibrato – hearing the silky sounds move from left to right in a live setting was truly spectacular (shoutout to FOH engineer Eric Loomis for mixing this challenging room really well!!).
The band was in absolutely no hurry as the “Wysteria” jam continued to develop – no one member was soloing or leading, yet they all fit perfectly into an interlocking space where they were each able to find their own contributions to the improvisation. A quick glance back to Atkind from Mitarotonda as the jam built triggered a launch into “Get The Funk Out Ma Face.” The crowd went wild for this explosive cover as it seamlessly continued the funky jam that had been crafted at the end of the 23-minute “Wysteria.”
A breather was taken during the first half of “Turned Clouds” but quickly turned into another incredibly fiery guitar solo. Closing the set would be the absolute dance party of “Jeff Engborg.” A non-stop groove machine with Anspach’s clavinet and organ work at the forefront, a stellar peak and above-average rendition of the song closed out the second frame.
Returning for the encore, the band fired up “Lead the Way” for the first time since October, a move that was met with raucous cheers from the audience. A blissful and melodic jam with more amazing Vintage Vibe work from Anspach led to a bonus double encore with “Turn On Your Love Light.”
Long-time Goose fans may tend to skip this quick closer, but this one in Boise was given the “extra mustard” treatment, with both guitarists whipping up a dark and evil cloud of noise for a brief dissonant build as Goedde threw up the curtain one final time to accentuate the music.
Across two energetic sets and two massive jams, Goose made their Idaho debut a special experience for those in attendance. There are precious few opportunities left to see this band in a venue this small…so let’s cherish them while we can!
Spring tour continues tonight with the first of two nights at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle – a free webcast is available for all Nugs.net subscribers.