Show Review - Goose 9/3/24 Boston, MA

I'm Not A Vibes Guy

Goose returned to the MGM Music Hall at Fenway last night for their second of three shows at the Boston venue, following up a fun first night with another show heavy on vibes and light on jamming.

Opening the show with a well-played duo of “Dr. Darkness” and the first “Switchin’” since last fall in Amsterdam, the band got the crowd grooving nicely. Guitarist Rick Mitarotonda and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach both threw sly teases of John Scofield’s “Chank” into their solos on the Wes Montgomery cover.

One of my favourite moments of the night came next with an atypical intro jam to “Atlas Dogs,” utilizing the song’s aggressive and tribal beat as a springboard for some cool improv, similar to the 12/30/22 and 6/10/24 versions of “Arcadia” as the band eventually blasted into the beginning of the song with a ton of momentum. I’d love to see Goose explore this more – the interludes are awesome.

“California Magic” continued the set before our first proper jam of the night in “Time to Flee.” Beginning in a dreamy space, the band built up a lush soundscape before Mitarotonda led them into a darker mood via some dirty riffs. Anspach used heavy reverb on clav to give it a more textural role than its usual shreddy sound, sending a wall of vicious noise across the jam. Drummer Cotter Ellis pushed the band into a circular motif as the tension built, eventually returning back to the “Flee” ending with a somewhat abrupt pull from Mitarotonda.

The trend from Monday’s show of promising jams not truly getting the time they needed to fully develop would continue last night, and “Flee” was the first such example.

“Silver Rising” offered more strong playing before Ellis’ 80s-vibe tune “My Mind Has Been Consumed By Media” saw its Goose debut. This catchy number is sure to be a hit and definitely has some jam potential within the hard-charging groove. It’s been great to hear Ellis get some time on lead vocals this tour and I look forward to more.

A reworked “Yeti” came next, with the band building atop a chord progression akin to “Love is a Battlefield” instead of the usual straight funk, Weekz’ envelope filter work holding down the stanky funk low-end. The energy was at an absolute peak at the end of this raucous jam, and Mitarotonda called for “Butter Rum” to close out the set after just over 80 minutes with some minor-key shredding and excellent Vintage Vibe work from Anspach.

Returning from setbreak, the second frame got off to a very promising start with “Echo of a Rose,” Mitarotonda taking the lead on a strong guitar solo. I was hopeful at this point that we were in store for our first true big jam of the run, especially when the band landed from the initial peak into a slower and funky space. Anspach uncorked some filthy clav licks and Ellis responded by pushing the tempo, the band coalescing on an excellent groove.

This was not to last, however, as Mitarotonda pulled the band into “Interlude II,” executing an incredible segue into the extended intro to “Jive I.” While this (and the ensuing “Loose Ends” sandwich) was a treat to hear, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit upset at the ripcord out of “Echo” – while the fun factor of this second set is undeniable, as a fan who loves to listen to and break down long jams, I have felt as though the magic the band hit during the “Madhuvan” on Sunday night in Holmdel has been largely absent in Boston.

“Red Bird” offered another glimpse at the possibilities, its piano-forward jam seeing Mitarotonda and Anspach engaging in some interplay and chasing, while percussionist Jeff Arevalo added a ton of great accents and extra layers to the pounding music. The jam eventually led into a solid peak, followed by a cooldown into a new minor-key space that had just begun to really spread its wings when Mitarotonda opted to begin “Travelers.”

In its third appearance of the year, the Autumn Crossing suite of “Travelers” and “Elmeg the Wise” had been played at both Fiddler’s Green and Forest Hills in June, coming as the encore to a monumental show and Colorado run and as the springboard for a killer second set at the band’s largest show to date.

I recognize that I am exceptionally lucky to have been in attendance for all three, and might feel differently had it been my first – but I couldn’t help but feel as though there was an emotional punch missing from the suite last night. Maybe it was the band’s attempt at rewarding those who came out to an undersold Tuesday night show, but after an oddly-paced show it didn’t carry the weight it usually does.

Despite all this, however, it’s impossible to deny that “Elmeg” hits hard every time, and the blazing finish to the set had hands in the air across the whole room as the crowd poured vibes and energy toward the band.

The fun factor continued with the “Animal” encore, the tempo faster than some in recent memory as Goose delivered an all-out dance party to send us off at the end of the night.

I know I can tend to be a bit critical sometimes and as my friends remind me often – it’s not all about the jams. That said, I can’t help but be a little bit disappointed in the first two nights of Boston, where the band has been playing well but has yet to fully explore one of the many small pockets of interesting improv. I have high hopes for tonight and am excited to see how they’ll close out the run at MGM.

Goose hits the stage just after 8PM ET and a livestream is available free for nugs subscribers.