Photos: Adam Berta
After riding high on a summer hot streak followed by a brief lull and a subsequent break before the onset of the Fall Tour, Goose returned to the stage this weekend. The band, known for lively and stretched improvisations, applied the pent-up momentum of their seasonal gap into an absolute scorcher of a live show during their stand at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J., on Sept. 1. During the event, the East Coast originators added two new songs to their live songbook, “Draconian Meter Maid” and “Big Modern!” At their follow-up on Sept. 2, they kept the motif going with another new number, a first-time performance of “One In, One Out.”
Prior to the evening’s (Sept. 1) debut of new material, Goose commenced the concert with a “Flopener,” also known as “Flodown,” in the first position–opening the show with a moody drummer-heavy course. “Mr. Action” got the 17,500-capacity arena on its feet. The band had more than just entertainment on their minds; they used the aforementioned number as a nod to their crew. The initial set was highlighted by an ensuing first-time delivery of “Draconian Meter Maid.” Written by new drummer Cotter Ellis, who also lent vocals on the tune, which morphed into a 17-minute monster.
On the other side of the first-time Goose-performed number, the ensemble picked up a tight take on “Drive.” They rolled into “Seekers on the Ridge Pt. I and II” before closing their initial frame after Shenanigans Nite Club staple, “SOS.” Following the set break, the band returned for a high-powered cascade of instrumental spontaneity, which birthed the night’s second debut, “Big Modern!” The song featured multi-part harmonies with a complimentary soulful lean fixed to a dance-ready groove, which set the tone for the follow-up, “Feel It Now,” which put bandmember Peter Anspach’s range of skills on display: vocals, guitar and keys.
To close the second set, Goose performed a classic, “Madhuvan,” before stepping away to mark the separation of the main display and ensuing encore. Upon their return, they capped the concert with a take on The Band’s “Don’t Do It.” After ending the show in The Garden State, Goose turned up at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on Sept. 2, where they created a habit of adding new material on Fall Tour, with another first, “One In, One Out,” which called back to the Labor Day opener, “All I Need” with a complimentary reprise.
With Goose’s first arrival of Fall Tour dates in the books, they will follow up with another night in Boston this evening, Tuesday, Sept. 3. Tickets remain on sale.
Scroll down to watch videos from Goose’s Sept. 1 show at PNC Bank Arts Center.
Goose
PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, N.J.
Sept. 1, 2024
Set I: Flodown, Mr. Action, Draconian Meter Maid+ > Drive, Seekers on the Ridge Pt. I > Seekers on the Ridge Pt. II, SOS
Set II: Big Modern!+, Feel It Now, Madhuvan
Enc.: Don’t Do It (The Band cover)
Notes:
+ Live debut
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