Show Review - Goose 6/20/24 Atlanta, GA

Catching up on recaps after an amazing and busy weekend! Hoping to have Friday and Saturday up later today :)

Goose kicked off a three night stand at the legendary Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Thursday, continuing what has been an unforgettable tour with highlights and amazing experiences at every stop.

Unlike the majority of shows where fans will be lined up around the block all day in hopes of scoring a rail spot, the Fox is a fully seated venue, which means all spots – including the pit – are ticketed. This gave the opportunity for a low-pressure pre-show experience, as nobody had to worry about holding space anywhere – vibes were sky-high before the band even played a note.

Coming out for the first set with the Peter Anspach-fronted “Butterflies,” Goose took the time during that and the ensuing “California Magic” to dial in the room and get comfortable, at ease with six sets ahead of them.

Sufficiently warmed up, it was time to dive into extended jams with “All I Need,” which quickly departed from its fiery guitar solo into a pulsating minor-key space. Anspach, bassist Trevor Weekz, and guitarist Rick Mitarotonda swirled around each other’s melodies while drummer Cotter Ellis held them firmly in a fluid state.

Anspach began to hammer repeated notes on marimba piano as the intensity grew in Mitarotonda’s soloing, Weekz popping in here and there with upper-register melodies before returning to the insistent low-end.

One of the coolest new tricks up Anspach’s sleeve has been the phaser piano, a long and slow sweep that has given recent jams an intensely psychedelic effect – and he began to use it here as the band began to float between major and minor territory. Mitarotonda drove forward and pulled the band into some stop/start modes, hearkening back to the 6/19/21 “Madhuvan” and 11/18/23 “All I Need” with the alternating ferocious soloing and airy major-key interludes.

Out of this space, Anspach strapped on his guitar for the impending segue into “I’m Alright” a bit prematurely, though the band recovered nicely and continued for a few more minutes of dual-guitar jamming ahead of the Loggins song. “Make the Move” followed in honour of Marta Goedde’s birthday – complete with the lyrics changed to “Marta, make the move.”

Next up, we were treated to a rare full performance of the Jivefecta, and only the second time ever where it was performed straight “Jive I” > “Jive II” > “Jive Lee” without a setbreak or other songs in between (the other being 11/13/21). While “Lee” didn’t reach the heights of the previous two versions from Colorado and Northlands, the Jives are always killer live, and the band fed off of the Fox’s energy during each solo and explosive peak to close the set.

Coming back from setbreak, the sprawling composition of “The Labyrinth” made its second appearance of 2024 as the opener of the second frame – honestly not my favourite choice of song, especially in a slot where I was hoping for a bigger jam. While I do understand the appeal of “Labyrinth,” I find that its complexity isn’t as engaging as other long-form compositions and it drags on a little bit too long for me. To the audience’s credit, however, the energy didn’t drop – even rose – through the ensuing “So Ready,” despite lack of a big second-set jam. It seemed as though everyone in the room was singing along and raging hard while Anspach and Mitarotonda both unleashed amazing guitar solos.

At this point in the show, we were in dire need of some improv – and Goose knew exactly what needed to be done when they began “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.” The first performance of the Grateful Dead classic in 2024 spanned over 25 minutes and packed in some serious improvisation, reminding me a lot of the 4/7/24 “Drive” in its pacing and themes.

Ellis set a brisk pace at the outset while Anspach and Mitarotonda circled each other on guitar, gradually departing “Half-Step” proper into a darker and more sinister mood. One of the things that’s so amazing about two-guitar Goose is the way that Anspach is able to support the leads pouring out of Mitarotonda’s instrument with layers and textures.

Ramping up the speed and intensity, Weekz dropped some serious bombs through the heavy jam as it reached a sustained and blistering peak atop a roar of sound from Anspach’s guitar.

Making a smooth major-key pivot as Ellis switched to a tom-heavy beat as the rest of the band followed into an exuberant peak mode, following Mitarotonda’s authoritative lead as Anspach made the switch to keyboards after some cool tremolo guitar work.

Finding themselves a comfortable path to a final peak, Goose proceeded to activate the yin to the first half of the “Half-Step”’s yang, obliterating an upbeat and rocking space and ending the incredible jam with a massive finish. JOTY playlist-worthy jam: check!

“The Old Man’s Boat” was a nice late-set cooldown (though it lacked the jam – what’s up with that?) before “The Empress of Organos” blew the roof off as the set closer. The relatively short version went a different direction than recent ones, hitting a Spanish-tinged space with great piano work from Anspach before ripping back into a hot ending to the song.

A languid “Doobie Song” encore filled the room with smoke as Goose closed out night one in Atlanta on a relaxed note, setting the table for two absolutely phenomenal shows to come.