Sorry for the delay on the Goose recaps - was a very busy week at the Cap and I didn’t have a chance to finish them then. Stay tuned for 4/9 and 4/10 posts tomorrow and Monday!
April 8, 2024 Goose, The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, USA
Set 1: Dr. Darkness > Turned Clouds, Into The Myst[1] > Arcadia[2], Lead the Way
Set 2: Interlude I -> Indian River, Interlude II -> Jive I, Rosewood Heart, Interlude III -> Jive II > Jive Lee
Encore: Hot Tea
Coach's Notes:
[1] Unfinished.
[2] With Nebula tease from Rick.
Show Notes: This show was on the day of a total solar eclipse and featured a full performance of Moon Cabin.
Goose returned to the sold-out Capitol Theatre on Monday for the second of four nights for this run. After an opening night full of epic jamming and amazing setlist calls, the quintet paid homage to the eclipse from earlier in the day by performing their 2016 debut LP Moon Cabin in full for the first time ever – all while continuing to usher in the new era with tweaked arrangements, big jams, and more.
Coming out of the gate with “Dr. Darkness,” the sly nod to the eclipse flew under the radar to me at first, as I was still expecting a “Silver Rising” appearance. Recent practice was made clear through the tight double-drum attack of Cotter Ellis and Jeff Arevalo.
“Turned Clouds” is a song that commonly appears either later in the first set or in the second, and very rarely shows up as the second song of the show, so it had us thinking about possible curveballs for later in the show – though Moon Cabin was not even on our mind. Peter Anspach and Rick Mitarotonda both took energetic solos on the tune – as expected – before the band launched into another cool setlist choice in “Into the Myst.”
For the second night in a row, the third song of the first sent went huge. “Myst” is historically a song that offers a patient Type I build – or gets used as a launchpad for the next song – but at the Cap, it got the Type II jam vehicle treatment for the first time ever. Anspach’s use of his OB-6 synth instead of the organ gave a new feel to the song as bassist Trevor Weekz really let it rip early on in Mitarotonda’s solo.
Instead of dropping into the “slow jam” we’re used to or even the disco beat, Ellis led the band into a tom-centric space which immediately made it clear to us that this was not going to be your average “Myst.” Anspach began laying down a soft bed of Vintage Vibe, but quickly switched to sharp stabs as Mitarotonda wove dreamy melodies over the propulsive rhythm.
Arevalo’s shaker perfectly added to Ellis’ increasing intensity on the toms as Anspach’s delayed tones continued to sweep across the crowd. The theme of Monday night’s show – PATIENCE – began to become apparent here as the quintet just basked in the incredible space they had reached so quickly.
Once again making his presence very known, Arevalo added to the ever-growing momentum of the jam with some aggressive tambourine work as Ellis began moving back down to the anchoring snare from all the toms. Weekz buzzed underneath, prodding Mitarotonda into a new joy-filled chord progression that Anspach quickly caught on to – still making heavy use of his delayed Vibe.
As the energy continued to build, I remember being struck at the sheer absurdity of the moment – here’s a song that has never been jammed out before, getting into an effortlessly beautiful Type II jam in just the third song of the show. Mitarotonda’s soloing became more insistent as you could feel the crowd’s vibe lifting with every note, running past the 20-minute mark with no signs of slowing down.
Monday’s “Into the Myst” peak is one of those absolutely perfect moments where the music and the room click, the band is feeling it, and you can’t help but just dance with a big stupid grin on your face. Ellis’ change in beat seemed to hint at a possible return to the ending of the song, but Anspach’s switch to piano seemed to re-energize the jam and bring us to several more amazing peaks.
Mitarotonda hinted at the melody from Katy Perry’s “California Girls” (for the record – not a tease 😜) and his impeccable guitar tone articulated every note of the beautiful solo, whether it was a quick riff or a burst of sustain. I’m beyond even words trying to articulate the feeling I get every time I listen back to this jam – and it’s been A LOT. Just go spin it.
There are few better songs to go into from a huge apex of energy like that than “Arcadia,” so it’s a good thing it was the next song on an album. For much of 2023, this quintessential Goose song had been used as a closer, or in a slot where it didn’t really have the space to stretch out like some versions from earlier years. The quintet took advantage of this late-first-set placement to deliver a drawn-out and patient jam (look for that word a LOT in this recap) with amazing interplay from everyone.
Ellis drove a peppy tempo to begin the jam as Weekz took a solo – just digging in to the pocket with a thick and heavy tone. Locking in together, some amazing vamping and riff-trading ensued between Anspach’s clav and Mitarotonda’s wah guitar as they slowly ramped up the intensity. Mitarotonda even threw in a cheeky tease from “Nebula,” a track from Ted Tapes 2024.
What this “Arcadia” lacks in improvisational depth, it more than makes up for in energy and just sheer patience – a skill that has definitely been lacking in Goose for certain parts of their career. I do absolutely need to highlight Anspach’s clav work as the jam really began to cook – he has a new pre-amp on it that has an envelope filter he can use sometimes, which gives the clav a much sharper and aggressive sound than when he uses the wah pedal. Mitarotonda also let loose a new tremolo effect that was a really cool way to continue building the energy of the music.
While the set easily could have ended after the massive combination of “Myst” and “Arcadia,” the band opted to close with “Lead the Way,” featuring Anspach on keys for the entire song for the first time ever.
As setbreak ensued, people pointed out that they were playing Moon Cabin in order, which allowed me to adjust my expectations for the second set, knowing what was to come song-wise. Obviously, sometimes my craving for big jams gets in the way of enjoying a more song-centric set, so knowing in advance that we were getting all the Jives in a spot where they don’t normally fit in helped manage those wants.
One thing I had definitely forgotten about on Moon Cabin were the three “Interlude” tracks, but I was blown away by how well they translated to a live setting. From the first strains of the opening chords to “Indian River,” the band took a solid five minutes to just jam on that theme, building into the OG arrangement of the song.
Skipping the planned “Welcome to Delta” jam (an excellent choice, in my opinion), we were treated to “Interlude II,” a jam on the opening chords to “Jive I.” The only other time we’ve seen the band stretch this part out was on 10/9/21 during a segue out of “White Lights,” and I remember being struck by how cool it sounded. This was a very different vibe – Ellis’ drumbeat really calling to mind the early part of “Leo” from Ted Tapes 2024, but it immediately cemented my belief that these interludes should be a permanent addition to the Jive songs.
Anspach put a twist on his “Jive I” solo by taking it on his OB-6 synth rather than organ, keeping it fresh for himself and the audience through the keyboard-heavy album performance.
“Rosewood Heart” was the big jam of the second set, stretching over 25 minutes in a dazzling display of patient improvisation. Calling to mind 2/10/22, another long Type I version, the band began the jam in an incredibly soft space, luxuriating in the beauty of the quiet interplay.
On the way to the finale of this jam, Mitarotonda led the band through a few dissonant builds – a motif we’ve seen a lot before but not executed to perfection like this. “Rosewood” is an interesting jam to look back on, especially for someone like me who ranks every single note (huge dork), but the fervor of this peak in the moment has not translated as well on relisten for me, so I’m very curious to see how this ages in the minds of other fans.
“Interlude III” was up next, definitely my favourite of the three due to its focus on the clav. Funking it up for a few minutes, we slid right into “Jive II.” Anspach obliterated the clav and organ for his solo – once again emphasizing HOW GOOD HIS TONE SOUNDS RIGHT NOW.
CLAV SENTENCE (yes, I did that)
Completing the album, the band ran through a celebratory “Jive Lee” to close the second set, giving Ellis and Arevalo an extended drum break to show off their tight groove, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
There’s no better spot for “Hot Tea” than in the encore, and the band put an exclamation mark on their second night of the run with their party anthem.
While Monday’s jams weren’t as deep as Sunday’s, the ambitious performance of an entire album in honour of an eclipse continued to demonstrate Ellis’ quick mastery of the Goose songbook – a fact that would only become more apparent over the next two nights.
Completely agree, the word of 2024 (thus far) is Patience for the band. I love that they are not rushing or forcing anything with the improvisation. There is a wisdom and excitement this year that I don't recall being on full display (all show long) before. Great work Ryan!
Thanks for the review. I agree they sound more patient and graceful, and I am enjoying Rick’s tone so much better. I thought the Rosewood was awesome but yes late ‘21 and early ‘22 have the standard bearers.