Show Review - Goose 6/28/24 Philadelphia, PA
Biggest show ever...for now
Goose played their biggest headlining show to date in Philadelphia last night, taking over the hallowed Mann Center as part of their increasing number of summer amphitheatre shows. In advance of summer tour, many people online discussed what attendance might look like at some of these bigger venues as only a couple of the shows sold out in advance.
I was overjoyed to walk into the venue last night to see the pavilion and lawn absolutely packed to the brim with people, ready for what was sure to be an amazing night. The band more than delivered – despite some timing constraints in the second set, we were treated to two memorable sit-ins and three absolutely phenomenal jams.
The night began with “The Whales,” the Peter Anspach song making its second show-opening appearance of the tour and getting us grooving with some gritty guitar work. An extra-mustard “Silver Rising” came next, the perfect early evening breeze blowing through the pavilion as Rick Mitarotonda sang his heart out.
A quick jamless “Atlas Dogs” led into a mid-set “Flodown” that ended the initial portion of the show as Goose prepared to welcome their first guest of the night – guitarist Rogers Stevens of Blind Melon.
“No Rain” has been a longtime cover staple of Goose setlists and it was clear that the band was pumped to perform the song with a member of the original band – similar to getting to do “The Way It Is” with Bruce Hornsby last December.
Stevens came into the song with a bouncy energy, his own glee evident as he shredded in tandem with Mitarotonda. The quick romp through the song led into a second guest appearance – this time Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy lending vocals to “California Magic.” While his performance was somewhat shaky, it was clear once again that Goose relished getting to perform with the guest.
A quick run through “A Western Sun” paved the way for what many of us had been waiting for – a jam. “Tumble” has had an incredible 2024 so far, with each version being memorable – and last night’s was no exception.
The release of energy as Goose dropped into the funk jam was palpable, and the packed amphitheatre roared as Anspach bopped around the stage shredding his funky rhythm guitar.
As has been the trend, bassist Trevor Weekz stepped out with some vicious envelope filter work early on as the band extended the funk section for several minutes. The energy continued to rise as Mitarotonda took the lead with some octave-down riffing, steadily pouring out notes overtop drummer Cotter Ellis’ steady groove.
Mitarotonda eventually led a modulation into an airier major-key space and Anspach made a quick switch to OB-6 synth. Laying down soft and ambient textures, Anspach sprinkled in Vintage Vibe stabs as well as Ellis pivoted to a snare-heavy beat with his distinctive rolling patterns.
Floating off even further into space, Anspach moved to marimba piano as the cloud of synth continued to float over the crowd, crafting a breathtakingly beautiful jam alongside Mitarotonda’s emotional soloing. The band built around the guitar, eventually finding a progression as Anspach’s repeated riffs just built the vibe.
Goose has been really crushing bliss jams on this tour, and it was a real treat to see them find a new way to approach that motif after leaning on the “When The Saints Go Marching In”-ish chord progression in some recent jams.
The evening breeze felt like an active participant in the jam, carrying the absolute joy throughout the shed as smiles stretched across faces and hands lifted into the air. Taking a moment to look around, I was once again amazed at what this band had accomplished by packing a venue of this size, and it was clear from the music that they could feel how special the moment was from the stage.
Wringing every drop of tension and emotion from this jam, Mitarotonda pulled the quintet back into “Tumble” proper, but instead of wrapping up delved into a new vein of minor-key jamming, the guitarist working some vicious rock riffs as Anspach slashed waves of synth across the peak. The set wrapped up there with an absolutely explosive finish, leaving us all breathless and excited for what was to come in the second frame.
Making its expected appearance to open after the break, “Hungersite” let Ellis really show off his skills, ripping through an extended peak section as they are wont to do. Continuing the vibe and energy from the first set-closing “Tumble,” Mitarotonda played like a man possessed as the speed of the music got faster and faster. Underneath the all-out shred, Anspach repeated a descending riff on piano and organ to elevate the interplay and music further.
Coming down from the peak, Ellis slowed down and hit into a filthy and more funk-oriented groove as Anspach hit some reverb-heavy clav. Descending further into the darkness, Mitarotonda hit on a haunting riff with a distorted tone, locking in with Weekz and the drummers as Anspach laid into thick Vintage Vibe chords.
Layering synth in and floating the jam into a dark and ambient cloud, Mitarotonda faded the evil riff out into the opening of “In Your Eyes,” busting out the Peter Gabriel anthem for the first time since 9/22/23, a 53 show gap.
What followed over the ensuing 25 minutes was some of the best Goose jamming I’ve ever witnessed live.
Anspach hit the clav early as Ellis and Arevalo pushed into a percussive zone, the envelope filter sharply bumping against Mitarotonda’s riffs in a very cool way. Not playing in any hurry, they patiently waited for the music to show them the way, evolving beyond simple funk atop Anspach’s OB-6 textures and Mitarotonda’s wah work.
Mitarotonda faded into the background a little bit more and let Anspach come to the front on synth as their riffs circled each other and made a smooth major modulation atop the shuffling drumbeat.
Beginning to build in intensity, Mitarotonda’s soloing took on an anthemic quality as the notes soared into the night air, coasting atop the subtle bed of synthesizer courtesy of Anspach. Weekz threw in some incredible melodic fills as the band seamlessly flowed back into “In Your Eyes,” the guitar leading the way to higher and higher peaks that egged Ellis into a double-time mode, bringing the joyous and breathtaking jam to new heights.
“Red Bird” came next, though the band had misjudged the amount of time they had left and the very promising (and VICIOUS) jam was abruptly bailed on by Mitarotonda to end the set – even Anspach’s thanks to the crowd felt like he was surprised at the move.
Vibes restored for the encore, Goose unleashed an epic “Arcadia” to celebrate their biggest headlining show to date, building peak upon peak upon peak with more of the “Madhuvan”-like tension builds, ending the show with the necessary explosion of glee.
With two shows to go on this month-long summer tour, Goose has continued to prove every night why they are worthy of playing this huge rooms and amphitheatres – they have it, and continue to rise to the challenge of every show and moment in the best way possible. See them at your earliest convenience, because it won’t be long before last night’s attendance record is beat.
Thanks as always for the great review. Loved that synth symphony in the middle of In Your Eyes, that was really unique