Goose Performs Full Spectrum New Year’s Eve Concert In Cincinnati

Goose celebrated New Year’s Eve with the second of two concerts held last weekend at Cincinnati’s Andrew J Brady Music Center. The show on December 31 saw the Connecticut-born band present a colorful second set.

Goose’s New Year’s Eve concert came a day after Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval declared December 30 as “Goose Day.” Both shows featured two sets, with Saturday’s New Year’s extravaganza starting off with “All I Need” to open the show, played in its slow and melodic arrangement. Goose then teed up the first two songs off their 2022 studio album Dripfield by pairing “Borne” with “Hungersite.”

The new original “Mr. Action” then made its second setlist appearance after having recently debuted at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado. Goose moved on to “Red Bird,” taking the Peter Anspach-sung song out beyond the 20-minute with an exploratory improvised sequence. Another big jam followed as the set came to an end with an expansive “Drive.”

At the end of the evening’s set break, the lights were dimmed as the arena was draped in darkness. Anspach, guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, bassist Trevor Weekz, drummer Ben Atkind and percussionist Jeff Arevalo took the darkened stage while similarly adorned in white outfits. Fittingly, “Dr. Darkness” was chosen to start the band’s final set of 2022. The lights and video screens were limited to a palette of only black and white colors. The restricted coloring remained through subsequent performances of “Indian River,” “Silver Rising” and “Madhuvan.”

The “Madhuvan” jam built to a frenzied climax, hitting a peak as the countdown to midnight appeared on the screen behind the stage. As 2022 became 2023, the lights and video screen were back in full technicolor while Goose dropped into their first full performance of New Year’s anthem “Auld Lang Syne” and balloons fell on the cheering audience.

Goose segued back into “Madhuvan” and tossed in some “Auld Lang Syne” teases within the first few minutes of 2023. The rest of the improv-heavy set filled in with a 21-minute “The Empress Of Organos” and a 16-minute “Dripfield” surrounding an 11-minute “Thatch.”

The New Year’s show was punctuated by a two-song encore that started with Goose’s debut cover of “This Year’s Love” by David Gray. “This Year’s Love” began with just Mitarotonda and Anspach, before Weekz joined them, while Atkind and Arevalo sat out the premiere. The night came to an end with an energetic “Animal.”

Listen to an audience recording and/or an official soundboard recording of Goose’s 2022 New Year’s Eve concert below:

Audio (Taped by Brent Stober)

Soundboard Audio

Setlist (via El Göose.net)

Set One: All I Need[1], Borne > Hungersite, Mr. Action, Red Bird, Drive

Set Two: Dr. Darkness, Indian River[2] > Silver Rising, Madhuvan -> Auld Lang Syne[3] -> Madhuvan[4], The Empress Of Organos, Thatch, Dripfield

Encore: This Year’s Love[5], Animal

Coach’s Notes:

• [1] Slow, melodic version.
• [2] 80s synth version.
• [3] Traditional. FTP.
• [4] With Auld Lang Syne teases.
• [5] David Gray. FTP. Played without drums.
• Mr. Action was dedicated to the crew and entire Goose team. The band came out for the second set dressed in all white and Dr. Darkness through Madhuvan was performed with only black and white lights and visuals on the screen behind the stage. At the stroke of midnight, color returned to the stage.