Show Review - Goose 6/20/25 Cleveland, OH

Making New Fans

Goose returned to Cleveland’s Jacobs Pavilion last night for their second of two nights at the riverside venue, delivering the kind of show that would make any curious first-time fan want to hop on tour immediately – and there were several of those I met last night.

Just after doors opened, the city was hit by just under an hour of torrential rain, the pavilion’s big tent canopy saving the majority of the fans from getting wet – but it stopped just in time for the crew to take tarps off the instruments and the band to get on stage. Though they didn’t start more than a few minutes later than they would have normally, the weather did allow a 15-minute extension on curfew that paid dividends later.

Wasting no time, the band opened with the first “No Rain” in just under a year, jamming it out into the longest version since 2/2/22 (GO LISTEN TO THIS ONE) with some powerful, churning two-guitar action. Rick Mitarotonda and Peter Anspach tore into the song with gusto, opening up into some bluesy riffs akin to “My Soul” as they blazed through the energetic peak. From the jump, last night’s crowd was much more engaged than Thursday’s and the conclusion of “No Rain” was met with raucous cheers.

“Dr. Darkness” came next without much in the way of an intro before the band tapped “Flodown” to continue the set. At least this summer, “Flo” has had some cool infusions of synthesizer and other atypical sounds to make the intro jam more interesting than the typical piano-forward romp we had seen previously.

A gorgeous “How It Ends” led into “Drive,” the set showing some jamming potential as the band worked through the recently-revived composed section. Opening up into the airy improv space, drummer Cotter Ellis propelled the band into a forward-pushing groove while Anspach and Mitarotonda got into some riffing close to “Iguana Song.” Just as it felt as though the jam was really starting to cook, Mitarotonda pulled an abrupt ripcord into “Seekers on the Ridge,” usually a good spot for this breather but at the expense of a promising “Drive,” it felt jarring.

At the end of part II, the band dove back into jamming to eventually conclude “Drive” and the first set, working just over ten minutes of a glorious peak zone that was built around a familiar-sounding riff. Anspach laid down some beautiful piano work as bassist Trevor Weekz pushed to the forefront with upper register melodies. Cued by Mitarotonda, the ending of “Drive” was somewhat rocky but served to end the set on a high note, with people ready for what was to come in the second frame.

“Fish in the Sea” came in the second-set opening slot and absolutely brought the house down with its pounding energy. The crowd went wild for each successive build and a big party boat cruising by on the river stopped to take in the amazing jam. This Fat Freddy’s Drop cover has long been one of Goose’s best and one that they’ve truly made their own – and this one stands among the best versions played.

From there, the band tapped “Tumble” as the centrepiece of the set, going right into the Goontz with Anspach setting up various arpeggiator and e-drum loops while Mitarotonda dug in on wah rhythm. Stretching to just under the 20-minute mark, the latest entry into the saga of Goose’s electronic-inspired explorations saw them follow a similar form to the previous iterations – rolling peaks and infectious dance energy with an overwhelmingly positive response from the crowd.

Wrapping things up there, the band lit into “Red Bird” next, the boat honking its horn on the way back past the venue which elicited an audible laugh from Anspach mid-song.

Opening up the jam into a calm and driving groove, the band brought dynamics way down once they departed “Red Bird” proper and let Weekz come to the front, his burbling envelope-filtered riffs getting Mitarotonda back in on the action as he cultivated some blissy melodies. Ellis and Anspach kept the steady foundation going with some basic-yet-compelling comping, leaving a wide-open space for bass and guitar to float.

Flowing smoothly from there, Ellis pushed the pace a little bit as Anspach and Mitarotonda built an arpeggiated riff, telegraphing an emotional major-key peak that was imminent. Bursting forth from the calmer space into full peak mode, Goose soared through several minutes of incredible energy, eventually landing in the full-band debut of “Amongster,” bringing over an incredible cover that had previously only been played by Orebolo.

Drenched in synths and punctuated by Ellis’ deep snare, it immediately asserted itself as a top-tier second-set landing pad and hopefully will remain in rotation as one.

“Pancakes” was tapped to close the second set and Goose continued the high-energy streak of the set by packing an absolutely volcanic amount of playing into the concise 15-minute rendition. Ellis and Weekz led the way with a rollicking groove as Anspach and Mitarotonda went wild overtop, leading into a rocking ascending progression to finish things off on a high note.

A brisk “So Ready” encore brought the Cleveland run to a close, once again focusing on high-energy play that the crowd really enjoyed.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, last night is the kind of show that a Goose-curious or first-time fan would love and get inspired to hop on tour with. For a more seasoned fan who looks for interesting improvisation, it was one of the weaker shows of the summer so far – though the first set’s “Drive” and second set’s “Red Bird” both showed a lot of potential before segues.

With ONE WEEK to go before Goose headlines Madison Square Garden for the first time, we head to upstate New York for a Saturday show at CMAC before the band hits Mountain Jam tomorrow night. Looking for some big jams like Thursday’s “Madhuvan” and “Torero”!

---

Watch tonight live from CMAC at 7:30PM ET exclusively with a nugs All Access subscription.

We’ll be live from the lot this afternoon at 4:30PM ET to recap last night’s show! Come tune in!