Show Review - Goose 6/18/24 Raleigh, NC

Southern Migration

Goose’s summer tour headed south with a stop in Raleigh last night, throwing down an action-packed show at the Red Hat Amphitheater on a sweltering Tuesday evening. It was the band’s second time performing at the venue, and the memorable 6/15/22 was at the top of many fans’ minds (check out the “Madhuvan” and “Drive” from that show) going in.

Also notably different from the previous play at Red Hat was the size of the audience – from a half-full GA crowd in 2022 to a nearly sold-out rager last night.

The band took the stage a punctual ten minutes after ticket time, dressed for the weather – guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, bassist Trevor Weekz, and drummer Cotter Ellis not missing the opportunity to go sleeveless.

The first set began with a driving rendition of “The Whales,” fronted by multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach. “Atlas Dogs” came next and delivered a surprise early-first-set jam, spanning nearly 22 minutes and marking the longest version of the song ever played to date.

Those who know me know that I am a MASSIVE proponent of jamming “Atlas Dogs,” and the return of the extended treatment at the Cap was a very exciting moment. Where that one stayed relatively close to home, the Raleigh “Dogs” very quickly got into serious Type II territory, standing easily as the best version of the song to date.

The initial jam was a propulsive space led by Ellis, while Mitarotonda and Anspach danced in circles around each other’s melodies, building intensity and energy to an amazing peak. The fiery jam hit into a straight disco-funk zone thanks to Ellis’ leadership and the quintet had the whole crowd shaking it for several minutes of sustained improv in this vein. Anspach’s use of a long synth filter sweep layered on the piano gave an incredible and psychedelic effect to this segment before Mitarotonda cleanly steered the band into the opening of “Rockdale.”

Continuing the trend started last week in Kansas City, instead of your usual fiery first-set version of “Rockdale,” Goose utilized the song as a springboard to lead into the first cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” since last April in Bozeman, breaking an 81-show gap. The preceding jam, however, hinted at some further exploration within “Rockdale” – a song that has been largely relegated to standard territory for the past year.

After “Weird Fishes,” Mitarotonda led into the beginning of “Indian River” without missing a beat as Jeff Arevalo strapped on his guitar to lend some chordal accompaniment to the tune. Venturing into the peppy “Welcome to Delta” jam next, Ellis laid down the funky beat as Anspach attacked his piano, throwing in teases of “Turn On Your Love Light” and “Bubblehouse” before a clean segue into a set-closing “Flodown.”

As the sun finally moved below the trees toward the end of the set, offering some relief from the heat, fans excitedly awaited the second set – and the band was eager as they re-emerged after the break and jumped right into “Animal.”

While the jam went on for longer than I would have liked – the party vibes were HIGH – it served as a great appetizer for the main event of the night in the following “Pancakes.”

Committing to patience right out of the gate, Anspach and Mitarotonda engaged in some interplay within the song proper before the former switched to clav as the jam began to depart into Type II territory. The crunchy tones, augmented by the sporadic triggering of space-age synth washes, crafted one of the coolest musical moments of the night. Ellis did an incredible job supporting the rest of the band here, taking up just the necessary amount of sonic space without stepping on any other band member’s toes.

Transitioning out of the darker space, Mitarotonda led a smooth major-key modulation and proceeded to craft one of the most gorgeous spaces I’ve heard from Goose – particularly impressive on a tour that has delivered so many incredible bliss segments. Existing in a space adjacent to “When The Saints Go Marching In” at times, the whole band locked in on a democratic style with no one member taking the way, building to a joyous frenzy that had the audience’s arms raised and smiles across every face.

Cueing the return to “Pancakes,” instead of ripping right into the ending, Mitarotonda kept the vibe going and patiently built back into the explosive conclusion, complete with the Arevalo percussion solo. This has shown real growth in 2024, as in past years the guitarist would be prone to brute-forcing the rest of the band into the end of a song.

“Into the Myst” kept the energy at a maximum and the gas pedal to the floor as we stayed firmly in bliss territory, the continuation of the Bliss “Myst” trend in 2024 more than welcomed by all in attendance – though it sadly was once again left unfinished.

“Magic Carpet Ride” was a fun cover that let Mitarotonda really go for it on some nasty “Madhuvan”-like builds ahead of the lone cooldown of the set in a tender “This Old Sea.”

The quick set-closing “Hot Tea” saw Anspach attack his OB-6 synthesizer for his solo instead of the usual Vintage Vibe, a welcome change that had the band egging him on with some breaks and an extended turn around the section.

Finally, for the encore, singalong “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” made its first appearance of the year to send the North Carolina crowd off happy – there are few better ways to spend a Tuesday night!

Goose kicks off three nights at the legendary Fox Theatre in Atlanta tomorrow night, and fans are flocking down to Georgia from far and wide for what is sure to be an unforgettable weekend – if you can’t make it, don’t miss a note via the subscriber-exclusive nugs livestreams!