Goose Jams With Guitarist Julian Lage In Chicago

Goose delivered an instant classic show for the second of two nights in Chicago, featuring an incredible setlist and one of the finest sit-ins of their career courtesy of guitarist Julian Lage.

With perfect weather once again, the band took the stage just before 7 p.m. with a groovy “Mr. Action,” settling in for the show with twin solos from guitarist Rick Mitarotonda and multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach.

Drummer Cotter Ellis fronted the band on the second performance of his original “Draconian Meter Maid” next. The funky tune has several earworms that are impossible to get out of your head and you’ll find yourself singing the chorus without realizing it – the first of four excellent debuts so far on this tour.

With some whirlwind composed riffs, “Draconian” led into a funky breakdown before lifting off into an airy jam. Reminiscent of a “Pancakes,” Anspach led the way with some gorgeous piano work before Mitarotonda linked up with him on some mind-reading interplay. The soaring motif eventually gave way to a snare-tapping rhythm from Ellis as bassist Trevor Weekz entered the fray with some strong minor-key licks, pushing the band in a more driving and moody direction.

Continuing to pick up steam, Anspach led the band into a nice peak progression that Mitarotonda quickly latched on to, bringing the jam to a more low-key peak than normal before fading beautifully into the beginning of the ’80s synth rendition of “Indian River.”

A sustained and rocking “Welcome to Delta” jam stayed inside the box for several minutes before Mitarotonda brought the band down from the climax into more exploratory terrain. Ellis immediately pivoted from the straight-ahead “Delta” beat into a tom-heavy motif as Weekz’s busy riffing clouded the space as he and Mitarotonda engaged in some wonderfully jazzy interplay, foreshadowing the sit-in to come shortly.

Landing on a chord progression similar to the “Crosseyed and Painless” intro, we were treated to some beautiful two-chord bliss to bring the first extended jam of the show to a close.

Anspach took a moment to introduce Lage next, noting how the band saw him perform at Connecticut’s Ridgefield Playhouse during their early spring rehearsals. The jazz guitarist took the stage and took an excellent solo intro to “A Western Sun,” prompting Mitarotonda to flip his “Scofield switch” immediately – going full Berklee jazz student as the two musicians gleefully faced off.

Entering into an outro jam for the second consecutive version (we are BACK!), Lage took the lead at first as the band laid out a foundational space for him to improvise over. The chemistry between the two guitarists was evident from the first couple of notes as they began to trade riffs, finishing each other’s musical sentences as they passed the baton back and forth. Anspach even got in on the action, mirroring some of Lage’s dizzyingly fast phrases on piano for a brief spell.

It’s unusual to hear this level of jazz playing in the context of Goose – Lage’s use of dissonance and atonal phrasing was really cool to hear and it was evident that the whole band was having an absolute blast on stage.

Breaking from the peak jamming, Ellis initiated a new motif emphasizing hits on the first beat of every phrase, hammering into a primal beat as the guitarists refused to give an inch of ground to each other, continuing to go at it full-force. Pushing forward from there toward another peak, Lage and Mitarotonda hosed down the crowd together before heading into “Turned Clouds.”

A perfect choice to showcase Lage once again, the lounge-blues vibe of the song allowed for a different angle on his playing – while “A Western Sun” was all about the interplay between the two guitarists, “Clouds” put Lage in the spotlight on his own for some remarkable soloing, closing out the set with a bang that left huge smiles on the faces of the musicians and audience members.

Immediately standing as one of the best sit-ins in the band’s history, this two-song appearance by Julian Lage was a special treat – it’s always better to see the guest musician with an ear-to-ear smile for the whole time.

Continuing the trend of short set breaks, Goose re-emerged and opened the second frame with an all-out dance party sandwich of “Pumped Up Kicks” within “Yeti.” The Foster The People cover got its first performance in 122 shows, last seen in Boulder on December 18, 2022. Anspach engaged in some nasty funk guitar riffing as Mitarotonda shredded leads, the rhythm section holding down the party beat as the sold-out crowd got down.

Next up, it was time for a big jam – and the band delivered with a monstrous 19-minute “Thatch.” Currently the song and jam vehicle in the Goose arsenal, the opening riff had a massive response from the crowd after only a couple of notes – as per usual – and the band tore through the verses with serious energy before diving headlong into the jam.

Weekz took the lead at first with some filthy slap work, Ellis and percussionist Jeff Arevalo supporting him with a busy and driving beat. Anspach and Mitarotonda circled each other with some staccato and minimalist riffing. The keyboardist began to lay out lightly phaser-infused chords on Clavinet as Mitarotonda hung out in the groove, contrasting nicely with the guitarist’s sharper notes.

Just like in Wednesday’s “Wysteria Lane,” Anspach doubled Clav and piano, this time with the sharp envelope filter engaged on the former, giving him the lead role for a time while Mitarotonda switched to rhythm work and Weekz stepped in with regular massive slap hits. Quieting from there and modulating up into a major key, the whole band dropped the intensity down to a near-whisper, leading into a beautiful space with Weekz at the forefront, melodic ideas spreading from the bass to guitar and keys.

Keeping things mellow and happy, Anspach’s marimba piano floated across the space along with Mitarotonda’s gorgeous leads, his riffs briefly coming close to the compositional portion of “Tumble” at one point. Naturally developing into a brief burst of minor-key tension, the band opted to hit a stop/start theme for a spell which alternated between darker shredding and the floaty bliss of before. One final build crashed us back into “Thatch” proper as Goose locked in for a sustained conclusion and peak, rocking to an explosive finish.

“Red Bird” was tapped next to continue the impeccable flow of the second set, Mitarotonda taking a firm lead on a blistering Type I peak before descending back into extended territory. The guitarist engaged his “digital sauce” synth pedal as the jam floated off, Weekz’s envelope filter adding extra color to the background as Anspach hung back on a repeating percussive piano riff.

Ellis’ pounding tom work informed a ramp-up to a fiery peak, staying mostly within a straightforward zone as the energy was kept at an absolute maximum before the jam trailed off somewhat abruptly. A quick synth drone informed the beginning of “Factory Fiction,” emerging from the murk with a sharp envelope filter from Mitarotonda. Goose generally reserves this song for special moments and shows – and it was well-deserved last night. This tour has been excellent so far and the sheer enjoyment from the band has been evident at every stop.

Messing up the lyrics as he is wont to do, Mitarotonda laughed it off and took a mulligan on the second verse of the song – a hilarious moment that got a good cheer from the crowd. While the “Factory” jam never strayed too far from form, the band built a charging Mitarotonda-led section with dizzying riffs along a descending progression as the set ended with a phenomenal explosion of joy.

A party encore of “Slow Ready” saw the return of Anspach’s phaser piano as Goose got us dancing one final time (shoutout to sideways hat Cotter) before sending five thousand people home happy in the beautiful Chicago night.

It’s time for a Friday night rager as Goose returns to the Salt Shed for a sold-out conclusion to their three-night stand and what is bound to be another special night as the band blazes their way west. Livestreams are available via nugs.net.

Setlist (via ElGoose.net)

Set One: Mr. Action, Draconian Meter Maid > Indian River[1], A Western Sun[2], Turned Clouds[2]

Set Two: Yeti -> Pumped Up Kicks[3] -> Yeti, Thatch, Red Bird, Factory Fiction[4]

Encore: Slow Ready

Notes:

• [1] 80s synth version. With Welcome to Delta jam.
• [2] With Julian Lage on guitar.
• [3] LTP December 18, 2022 (122 shows)
• [4] With Duel of the Fates teases from Rick.