Goose Gets BAaD In Glasgow

The United Kingdom leg of Goose’s European tour began last night in Glasgow, Scotland where the band delivered easily one of the best shows of the run so far.

The show took place at BAaD, a high-ceilinged warehouse-style venue with cobblestones and a small balcony in addition to the floor. It was the first night of tour so far that wasn’t sold out, giving us ample space to move and dance throughout the night – plus, there might have been the largest number of locals yet! We met a number of Scottish people who were ecstatic to be seeing their first show, as well as a guy from Spain who had traveled to the U.K. for Glasgow through London!

The night kicked off with “Jive I,” always a reliable opener and a great way to get the energy flowing. “Honeybee” came next – sans rainstick – coming off the bench for the first time since September and 25 shows, tying the second-longest gap in the song’s history. A run through first-set staple “Atlas Dogs” came ahead of the 20-show gap “Jive Lee,” which also offered the first extended improv of the night.

Clocking in at just shy of 18 minutes, the longest “Lee” to date eschewed the typical clav-shred jam in favor of deeper exploration – multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach dialing up a percussive electric piano sound atop the driving pocket from drummer Ben Atkind and bassist Trevor Weekz. Guitarist Rick Mitarotonda dug into some themes akin to Ted Tapes cut “Dragonfly” as the improv slowed and got spacier.

Rare NRBQ cover “Howard Johnson’s Got His HoJo Working” continued the set with an excellent Weekz solo before things got bluesy with “Turned Clouds.” The crowd’s energy was off the charts during both Anspach and Mitarotonda’s solos, also due to many American travelers starting their tours last night, bolstering those of us who have been on the run for two weeks already. The blazing guitar work continued through the set-closing “Turbulence & The Night Rays” as Mitarotonda once again hit peak after peak to end the frame on a high note.

A speedy set break brought us back with “Pancakes,” a 22-minute excursion that focused on a relentless and breakneck-speed jam thanks Atkind’s steady, pulsing work on the hi-hat and ride cymbal. The other four members of the band built around and atop his foundation as the jam’s frenetic energy grew higher and higher. What the Glasgow “Pancakes” lacked in depth, it more than made up for with pure fire and incredible vibes throughout its length.

Blind Melon’s “No Rain” eschewed its jam in favor of a clean segue into rock ‘n roll ripper “Bob Don,” where Anspach’s thick rhythm chords tore around Mitarotonda’s searing leads in the incredible landing pad.

“Echo of a Rose” offered my personal favorite jam of the night in a concise 12-minute runtime, diving to plumb the depths of evil space with propulsion from Weekz’s heavy bombs and Anspach’s off-kilter piano work. The band returned home with an explosive guitar solo (once again) before descending into “Dripfield” to close the night.

In my recap of the Copenhagen show from last week, I noted that “Dripfield” succeeded in getting its big arena sound across in a tiny room. Last night may have been the biggest reaction to the song I’ve experienced yet, with the crowd going nuts for each successive peak as Goose blew the roof off of BAaD one last time before the end of the show.

Four shows left and the momentum just keeps building!

Tour continues tonight in Manchester at the 02 Academy. A livestream is available for free to nugs.net subscribers.

Setlist (via El Göose.net)

Set One: Jive I, Honeybee, Atlas Dogs > Jive Lee, Howard Johnson’s Got His Ho-Jo Working, Turned Clouds, Turbulence & The Night Rays

Set Two: Pancakes, No Rain -> Bob Don, Echo of a Rose [1], Dripfield [2]

Notes:

• [1] Fast version.
• [2] With Within You Without You tease from Peter.