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Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band
Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Goose: a lot of jam in that verse-chorus-verse sandwich.
Video:
GONZO REPORT: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band
Goose had been kicking around for five years by the time they played the jam-band heavy 2019 Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania. But that was the performance that paved the way for them to land on the bill at Dead & Company’s 2020 Playing in the Sand event in Mexico. Their next tour was cancelled due to Covid, but since 2021, they have been playing sizable venues — such as our very own Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, a venue with a storied concert history. That gig was in April 2023. I caught them at the same venue for their second go-around a year and change later.
About 15 minutes before showtime, I mistakenly plopped down in the correct row and seat —but the wrong section. I chatted for a bit with the guys next to me, who were obviously big Goose fans. They informed me that singer/guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, and specifically his lead playing, was the beating heart of the band. This would prove to be correct. After becoming the subject of some upper-class ribbing due to my superior seating, I bid farewell to my friends in the nosebleeds with a sarcastic “So long peasants!” that got some laughs. I then headed down to hang with the aristocrats closer to the stage. Once I landed in my actual seat, I took note that the theatre was very close to, if not completely, sold out. I will always give it up for jam band fans; they roll out to see the acts they love in force. I don’t think there’s a fanbase out there that is more dedicated to the live music experience.
As for myself, jam bands have always been an egg I’ve yet to truly crack…and it’s not for lack of trying. I have seen many, many jam bands over the years. I have also been cornered by numerous randoms at bars and parties who then spent way too much of their time and mine trying to convince me that their favorite jam band was the greatest group on Earth and that I just had to “REALLY listen to them,” at which point I would “see the light.” This assurance was usually followed by anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes of recruitment propaganda.
What caught my attention with Goose was that they’ve been portrayed by the press as being a jam band with a bit of an indie rock vibe. I figured that could be an interesting mix, but what sort of squashed it for me once they hit the stage — and I should have known this was coming — was that Goose is, first and foremost, a jam band. And the lengthy, expansive jams that jam band fans absolutely live for are the same long, drawn-out jams that make me appreciate Elliot Easton solos on Cars albums. So, even if the verse-and-chorus appetizer sections of Goose songs may share musical DNA with a band such as Wilco, the far-longer jam portions are without a doubt the main course.
Still, once those jams kick in, watching thousands of fans lock into the music and dance in a hypnotic fashion is truly amazing. Hypnotic, even. Whenever I witness this live, I feel excluded, sadly incapable of being entranced by a magic spell that delivers pure euphoria. And when you throw in an epic light show like the one Goose served up, a person can become downright infuriated by the brain’s failure to link up with everybody else’s. I found myself envying the woman in front of me who was dancing furiously and waving her Japanese folding hand fan while losing her marbles to the music.
So, I was present at this show, but I wasn’t present on the same wavelength as the majority of those in attendance. The tell that I was a square: I revealed to the couple sitting next to me in the aristocrats’ section that I generally preferred the Grateful Dead’s studio albums, especially American Beauty, to their live recordings. I could see their faces fall and feel their hearts sink as I told them this, as they had just revealed to me that they were huge Deadheads who still traveled to see Dead & Company concerts.
By the time Goose started their second set, that couple’s seats were empty — and they stayed that way. I hoped that they had simply found better seats, and that they hadn’t been scared off by my utterance of such nonsensical opinions whilst in the midst of so many true believers.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band
Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band
Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Goose: a lot of jam in that verse-chorus-verse sandwich.
Video:
GONZO REPORT: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band
Goose had been kicking around for five years by the time they played the jam-band heavy 2019 Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania. But that was the performance that paved the way for them to land on the bill at Dead & Company’s 2020 Playing in the Sand event in Mexico. Their next tour was cancelled due to Covid, but since 2021, they have been playing sizable venues — such as our very own Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, a venue with a storied concert history. That gig was in April 2023. I caught them at the same venue for their second go-around a year and change later.
About 15 minutes before showtime, I mistakenly plopped down in the correct row and seat —but the wrong section. I chatted for a bit with the guys next to me, who were obviously big Goose fans. They informed me that singer/guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, and specifically his lead playing, was the beating heart of the band. This would prove to be correct. After becoming the subject of some upper-class ribbing due to my superior seating, I bid farewell to my friends in the nosebleeds with a sarcastic “So long peasants!” that got some laughs. I then headed down to hang with the aristocrats closer to the stage. Once I landed in my actual seat, I took note that the theatre was very close to, if not completely, sold out. I will always give it up for jam band fans; they roll out to see the acts they love in force. I don’t think there’s a fanbase out there that is more dedicated to the live music experience.
As for myself, jam bands have always been an egg I’ve yet to truly crack…and it’s not for lack of trying. I have seen many, many jam bands over the years. I have also been cornered by numerous randoms at bars and parties who then spent way too much of their time and mine trying to convince me that their favorite jam band was the greatest group on Earth and that I just had to “REALLY listen to them,” at which point I would “see the light.” This assurance was usually followed by anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes of recruitment propaganda.
What caught my attention with Goose was that they’ve been portrayed by the press as being a jam band with a bit of an indie rock vibe. I figured that could be an interesting mix, but what sort of squashed it for me once they hit the stage — and I should have known this was coming — was that Goose is, first and foremost, a jam band. And the lengthy, expansive jams that jam band fans absolutely live for are the same long, drawn-out jams that make me appreciate Elliot Easton solos on Cars albums. So, even if the verse-and-chorus appetizer sections of Goose songs may share musical DNA with a band such as Wilco, the far-longer jam portions are without a doubt the main course.
Still, once those jams kick in, watching thousands of fans lock into the music and dance in a hypnotic fashion is truly amazing. Hypnotic, even. Whenever I witness this live, I feel excluded, sadly incapable of being entranced by a magic spell that delivers pure euphoria. And when you throw in an epic light show like the one Goose served up, a person can become downright infuriated by the brain’s failure to link up with everybody else’s. I found myself envying the woman in front of me who was dancing furiously and waving her Japanese folding hand fan while losing her marbles to the music.
So, I was present at this show, but I wasn’t present on the same wavelength as the majority of those in attendance. The tell that I was a square: I revealed to the couple sitting next to me in the aristocrats’ section that I generally preferred the Grateful Dead’s studio albums, especially American Beauty, to their live recordings. I could see their faces fall and feel their hearts sink as I told them this, as they had just revealed to me that they were huge Deadheads who still traveled to see Dead & Company concerts.
By the time Goose started their second set, that couple’s seats were empty — and they stayed that way. I hoped that they had simply found better seats, and that they hadn’t been scared off by my utterance of such nonsensical opinions whilst in the midst of so many true believers.
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