Goose Continues Introducing New Original Songs At 2nd Tour Stop In Boston

Approximately 19 hours after witnessing the final notes of Phish at Dick’s, it felt surreal to be in the room as Goose walked on stage for the first of three shows at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway. The compact 5,000-seat venue that was built for music was an utterly (and obviously) different experience from the massive soccer stadium outside Denver, and seeing my two favorite bands on back-to-back nights just made me appreciate what I love about both of them more.

Goose kicked off the raging show with “All I Need,” setting the tone for the night with a concise version that allowed them to warm up to the room. Drummer Cotter Ellis led the way into a percussive jam, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach sparkling overtop with some beautiful electric piano work as guitarist Rick Mitarotonda layered delay tones.

Sitting in this zone for a few minutes, the band toyed with a departure into deep space for a brief spell – would love to hear this explored more – before bailing on the improv in favor of the first “Caution” in almost a year. The Bob Marley tune was played perfectly, highlighted by Anspach’s impeccable rhythm guitar work.

Continuing the trend that was started on Sunday night in Holmdel, Goose unveiled the third new original song of the tour in the Anspach-penned “One In, One Out.” Featuring an upbeat, almost Peter Gabriel-like vibe and excellent use of marimba piano, there’s an anthemic quality to this song that I look forward to seeing the band explore over time.

The chorus also has an unmistakable touch of Mitarotonda’s influence, calling to mind the one-time-played (to date) “How It Ends” in its chord structure and lyrical melody. There’s also definitely some jam potential in this one, explored for a moment before Mitarotonda pulled the band back into the song proper and then executed a smooth segue into the ending of “All I Need.”

The guitarist thanked the crowd for coming out to a “Shmonday” show before leading the quintet through “Turbulence & The Night Rays,” a terrific part of any first set.

“Rockdale” came next and was played at a faster tempo than normal, more closely resembling the early 2021 versions than recent ones – and featured a super-extended Clavinet-led jam courtesy of Anspach. Bassist Trevor Weekz held down the deep pocket while the keyboardist shredded over top, eventually giving way for Mitarotonda to soar through several strong peaks. “Hot Love & The Lazy Poet” then got its first outing as a set closer, complete with an extended drum break from Ellis and percussionist Jeff Arevalo.

Coming back out for the second set, Goose made a statement that we were in for a continuation of the party and vibes from set one by beginning the frame with “Hot Tea.” Anspach took his second big solo of the night on OB-6 synthesizer before handing the reins to Mitarotonda, who quickly dropped the band into a purposeful funk groove.

Anspach continued to sprinkle synth over the rest of the band, utilizing heavy delay tones and eventually locking in on a repeating motif. Arevalo really shined during the “Tea” jam, his heavy percussion work adding an noteworthy additional dimension to Ellis’ steady groove.

Mitarotonda utilized reverbed-out envelope filter tones as Anspach took to phaser piano, engaging in a few minutes of sustained full-band interplay and grooving, each member sinking into the music and working in tandem for a unique take on what is usually good for an extended Type I dance party.

Pulling back into “Hot Tea” proper and blasting through a final peak, “Tumble” was chosen next to keep the vibes rolling. One of the most consistent jam vehicles so far in 2024, the band played things close to home with this version, moving from intense dual-guitar funk to a rocking major-key space.

“A Western Sun” has been a reliable cool-down song for years now, one of Mitarotonda’s most beautiful efforts and expertly placed in many second sets. Last night was different, however, as Goose opted to jam out the ballad for the first time since August 16, 2022, much to the delight of diehard fans like myself who have been waiting eagerly for this to happen.

The band floated into an ambient space, Anspach using his brand-new Moog Muse synthesizer for the first time to layer in gorgeous and subtle textures. While the OB-6’s tones are aggressive and in-your-face most of the time, the gorgeous pad utilized within the “AWS” jam left tons of space for the rhythm section and Mitarotonda while buoying the band in the serene major key.

Smoothly increasing into a small peak, Anspach kept his lead role through a tight fade into “The Way It Is” – while “A Western Sun” clocked in at a mere 13 minutes, this version is hopefully an indication that it will be returning to more consistent jam vehicle status once again.

“The Empress of Organos” was tapped to close the second set, and Anspach’s sly “The Way It Is” tease plus “Doctor” Weekz’s bass solo got a great reaction from the crowd as the band dove headlong into one of the absolute highlights of the show. Similar to the versions from Portland and New Haven in June, Goose dropped things down into a pulsating and evil jam, riding Ellis’ drumming atop a droning synth tone, Mitarotonda augmenting his tone and melting faces before pulling things back in for a blazing finish.

A rocking encore of “White Lights” saw Anspach take another outstanding solo, putting the cap on a Labor Day for the books. What the show lacked in deep improv it more than made up for in atmosphere and the fun factor, beginning what is going to be an excellent three nights to get the ball really rolling on fall tour.

Goose returns to MGM Music Hall at Fenway tonight – livestreams are available for the full September tour, free for nugs subscribers.

Setlist (via El Goose.net)

Set One: All I Need[1] > Caution[2], One In One Out[3] -> All I Need, Turbulence & The Night Rays > Rockdale, Lead the Way, Hot Love & The Lazy Poet

Set Two: Hot Tea, Tumble, A Western Sun -> The Way It Is[4], The Empress Of Organos[5]

Encore: White Lights

Notes:

• [1] Slow, melodic version.
• [2] Bob Marley.
• [3] FTP.
• [4] Bruce Hornsby.

Official Audio (via nugs.net)