Goose Goes ‘Super Hard’ At European Tour Finale In London

That’s a wrap!

Goose closed out their first-ever international tour last night with the second of two shows at London’s Electric Ballroom. The 1,500-capacity venue hosted an excellent sold-out first night on Sunday, highlighted by the second set’s “Red Bird” jam and the crowd’s exemplary energy. Last night was no different and had that unmistakable “final show” energy, the joy of completing a new experience – shared by band and crowd alike.

The Connecticut quintet took the stage and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach noted that they were “going to go super hard” for the last night of the tour. The spacey intro to “Dr. Darkness” was not what many expected after that statement – but it served as a great opener as it tends to do regularly.

Anspach and guitarist Rick Mitarotonda both got a turn to shine on “Yeti” and “Mr. Action,” fretboard fireworks abounding from both musicians – especially in the latter, where the numerous blinding peaks seemed to reach new heights with each turn around the catchy chord progression. It’s also an excellent way for Goose to shout out their road crew at the end of the tour – Mitarotonda wrote the song with that intention.

“Please Forgive Me” made its expected appearance (though it was written on the setlist as an option with “Bloodbuzz Ohio” as the other choice) at the “big show” at the end of the tour, having been seen earlier this year at SPAC and Red Rocks.

The first big jam of the night came in the 21-minute “Hungersite” late in the first set. Goose’s biggest “hit” had the packed crowd loudly belting the lyrics to the catchy tune. Drummer Ben Atkind led the charge into the jam with a propulsive beat as the band settled in. Anspach took charge with some heavy clav work as the improv picked up speed and intensity, working the gritty tone with a steady stream of sixteenth notes. Mitarotonda let loose with some blazing hot guitar licks and an equally filthy tone as the intensity only continued to grow.

Minutes straight of peaking and a runaway-freight-train kind of jam saw each band member stretch huge smiles across their faces as the audience went wild for the crazy twists and turns of the “Hungersite” jam. Once the exemplary improv wrapped up, we got the optimal late-first-set placement for “Seekers on the Ridge” – one last opportunity for a flamethrower guitar solo before setbreak.

Conspicuously missing from shows since the tour opener in Paris was “Madhuvan,” having been cut from a number of shows in the latter half of the run – and there was no other song that Goose could have opened last night’s second frame with. The crowd knew it was coming and cheered one of the loudest moments of the night at the opening notes.

Completely deconstructing the jam initially, Anspach added some really psychedelic tones of blended organ and synth from his Nord Stage keyboard as Mitarotonda quietly whispered “the doctor will see you now” into his microphone (note: the doctor in question is Trevor Bass, DDS). Soaring forth into a beautiful major key, some incredible patience was exhibited by the band, contrasting to the first set’s big “Hungersite” and what would come next in the jam. After minutes of the emotional and upbeat jam, Goose pivoted into more hard-charging and fast-paced jamming with Anspach at the forefront on piano. What may have been the multi-instrumentalist’s finest playing of the tour ensued for several minutes as the Nord keyboard was in danger of breaking from the force of the ivory tickling.

Blazing into the ending of “Madhuvan,” Anspach got another turn at the front through “Feel It Now,” anchored by percussionist Jeff Arevalo’s bongo work. The dance anthem led into the third “Thatch” of the tour, making an expected short-gap appearance at the tour closer.

Bassist Trevor Weekz took a turn in the spotlight in the early part of the improv as Atkind and Arevalo locked in alongside him for the typically-deep groove pocket. While not as deeply jammed as the versions from Amsterdam and Manchester, the London “Thatch” was a euphoric jam and was a great mid-second-set anchor.

Anspach took a moment to shout out the Goose crew for their hard work and thanked fans for attending their first trip across the pond – noting that they can’t wait to return in the future. The show and tour then closed with an appropriate “Dripfield,” always an excellent decision – though the impending curfew meant the jam was cut relatively short.

It’s hard to believe that the last three weeks in Europe have already wrapped up, but Goose fans are already getting psyched up for the 10th Goosemas in just two weeks, where the band will transition from small European clubs to a two-night stand at the legendary Hampton Coliseum. So, until then…GOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

Setlist (via El Göose.net)

Set One: Dr. Darkness, Yeti > Mr. Action, Please Forgive Me, Hungersite > Seekers On The Ridge Part I > Seekers On The Ridge Part II

Set Two: Madhuvan, Feel It Now, Thatch [1], Dripfield

Notes:

• [1] With Carol Of The Bells teases from Rick.