Goose hit the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Sunday for the second night of its 202 spring tour “Sleeveless in Seattle” stand. True to the billing, like the previous night, the band came out sans sleeves, but unlike the previous night, the sound was fully dialed in from the get-go and no technical issues ensued.
The first set began with a parade of dark and shady characters: “Turbulence & The Night Rays”, denizens of streets paved with pestilence and shoeless children; “Dr. Darkness”, making the rounds inside our heads sowing seeds of self-doubt and jealousy; “Yeti,” who’s coming for you; and finally the werewolf of “Silver Rising” telling his love to run and not turn around. The cast of dark characters gave way to a fabulous cover of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and the set closer “Tumble”.
Like many of the songs on Sunday, “Tumble” was jammed out to the max. It was also notable that this was the OG fast arrangement of “Tumble” and not the slow “vibey” version that the band had been doing a lot recently and which appeared on the band’s last studio EP Undecided.
After a short break, the band came out and started the second set with a raging version of “Hot Tea”. Next came the mystical and powerful two-part “Seekers on the Ridge.” “Creatures”, another jammed-out favorite that recalled the dark vibe that started the first set, had the entire audience up and grooving.
It was then time for Goose to unveil an incredible treat and surprise: a set-closing version of “Achy Breaky Heart”, best associated with Billy Ray Cyrus. It was only the band’s third performance of the song ever, its last performance occurring some three years ago during the virtual Bingo Tour. The cover had not been witnessed by a live audience since its debut back on December 23rd, 2016 during a hometown show in Norwalk, CT per El Goose. The track is also virtually the only one in Goose’s catalog sung by bass player Trevor Weekz, and in appropriate fashion, the stoic low-ender donned a cowboy hat for the occasion.
Goose – “Achy Breaky Heart” (Billy Ray Cyrus) – 4/23/23
[Video: Brandon Broughton]
The encore, which almost seemed like a third set because of its 30-minute length, consisted of a crowd-pleasing “Slow Ready” followed by what was once considered a rarity chased by many of the Goose faithful, “Factory Fiction”—making its tenth appearance since the band returned from COVID lockdowns. The tune rocked the venue and drew particular cheers as guitarist Rick Mitarotonda sang, “I don’t mind if things get a little weird sometimes” and “It’s alright, that all the freaks wanna come at night.” Things definitely got a little weird for the freaks that came out for two nights of Goose in Seattle, delightfully so.
Check out some fan-shot videos of Goose’s Sunday Seattle show from Darren “Drew Train” Camp and photos from David Tracer. The band’s tour continues on Tuesday in Eugene, OR. Tickets and a full list of dates are available here.
Goose – “Turbulence & The Night Rays” – 4/23/23
Setlist: Goose | Paramount Theatre | Seattle, WA | 4/23/23
Set One: Turbulence & The Night Rays, Dr. Darkness, Yeti, Silver Rising, In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel), Tumble
Set Two: Hot Tea, Seekers On The Ridge Pt. 1 > Seekers On The Ridge Pt. 2, Creatures, Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus) [1]
Encore: Slow Ready, Factory Fiction
[1] LTP 6/27/20 (174 shows)
Next week, Goose will head to New Orleans, LA to headline both nights of Daze Between New Orleans alongside Tank and the Bangas, Lawrence, Neal Francis, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, David Shaw, Eggy, Melt, Honey Island Swamp Band, and more. Single-day and two-day tickets are now on sale here.
Daze Between New Orleans is part of Live For Live Music‘s extensive Fest by Nite event series during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, taking place from Friday, April 8th through Sunday, May 7th, 2023. In addition to the two-day Daze Between Festival, the full Fest by Nite series features 14 eclectic late-night shows around the city to keep Jazz Festers dancing late into the night. See below for a full lineup of Fest by Nite shows. For tickets and more information, head here.
