The Goose fiscal year has finally come to an end—albeit a little later than expected. On Saturday night, Goose staged the eighth installment of its annual Goosemas celebration at Uncasville, CT’s Mohegan Sun Arena. The band originally scheduled the event for December 18th, 2021, but postponed it until February 26th due to a positive COVID-19 test in the touring party.
Hailing from nearby Norwalk, the indie jam-rock quintet returned to its traditional format of hosting Goosemas in its home state of Connecticut after staging a pandemic-induced, fanless rooftop concert in 2020 at New York City’s Rockefeller Center. For fans, the yearly extravaganza serves as a measuring stick for both the progress of the group over the previous 12 months and a signal of the growth to come. The 2021(2) Goosemas celebration was no different, putting into perspective yet another career year for Goose.
2021 Will You Think About Me? Goose: A Year In Review
In 2019—the group’s last in-person Goosemas—Goose played to a sold-out, 1,000-capacity Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, a big jump up from the couple hundred who had attended in 2018 at the nearby Cantiki bar. Despite the negative impact COVID-19 has had on the music industry, Goose persevered, played the hand it was dealt, and wound up with a pot-winning three-of-a-kind at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday night.
As dealers divvied cards and roulette wheels spun on the casino floor, countless fans shuffled into the sold-out arena with high expectations for this long-awaited three-set Goosemas VIII concert. Immediately noticeable was a grand piano anchoring Peter Anspach‘s array of keyboards and guitars, hinting to the crowd that there were many surprises in store. Also of note was the backdrop of Christmas trees, a reminder that this was, after all, still the holiday celebration Goose had promised.
With the pleasantries and thank yous out of the way, a sharply-dressed Anspach immediately put his grand piano to use and led the five-piece into “Linus And Lucy”, the Vince Guaraldi-penned instrumental prominently featured in A Charlie Brown Christmas. This short and sweet recalling of the holiday spirit was quickly outsized by a more traditional set opener and party starter, “Yeti”. Being the showman that he is, Anspach really shined here, using the broad platform of his piano as a soapbox to spread the good word of Goose to the masses as he shredded lead lines on his guitar. A distinguished gentleman in his own right, Trevor Weekz made his presence felt from the beginning of this tune, ushering in a bit of tension with the deep rumble of his bass.
Goose – “Linus And Lucy” (Vince Guaraldi), “Yeti” – 2/26/22
Things slowed down a bit for the following “Atlas Dogs”, allowing Rick Mitarotonda to provide his refined vocals for the first time. A ponderous jam section ensued and eventually found a tight pocket helmed by drummer Ben Atkind. Goose basked in the graceful improv before settling in on “Echo Of A Rose”. This blissful telling saw Anspach switch back and forth between his piano and clavinet, setting up an upbeat take on “So Ready”. Anspach’s clavinet maintained its welcome presence in the opening verses and choruses before he switched to the six-string as Goose wielded a dual guitar attack for the jam section. The “So Ready” jam ran the gamut from a euphoric and atmospheric ride to a headstrong, four-on-the-floor dance groove that kept the room moving for all 12+ minutes. A set-ending “Silver Rising” contained some excellent vocal harmonies from Mitarotonda and Anspach and provided a much-needed reprieve for those who wished to pace themselves through the three-set marathon.
Bringing the energy up after a short break in the action, Goose opened with an organ-infused “Rockdale” that traversed many sonic landscapes before settling on another Anspach tune, “Red Bird”. The “Red Bird” jam was the most dynamic at that point in the evening. It began in the depths of deep space and navigated the surrounding solar systems with the help of Weekz’s bass. Eventually, Atkind manned the steering wheel and, several peaks later, led Mohegan Sun Arena to its rightful home in “Rosewood Heart”.
Goose – “Rockdale” – 2/26/22
This serene offering set up one of the biggest highlights of the night, the live debut of Nina Simone‘s “Sinnerman”. Goose had originally released a studio rendition of the cover back on November 30th as part of Secretly Canadian‘s Giving Tuesday initiative, but the song took on new life in the live setting. Mitarotonda’s vocals resonated throughout the arena, gracing every rounded edge of the venue and descending upon the general admission floor with unspeakable amounts of weight and emotion. Jeff Arevalo provided some excellent percussion accompaniment on “Sinnerman”, linking up perfectly with Atkind and Weekz to round out the powerful rhythm section and provide a base for the cerebral vocal harmonies.
Just when the room thought this middle set couldn’t get any better, Goose waltzed into “Empress Of Organos” and brought the show to new heights. Mitarotonda linked line after line of finely-calibrated leads during the jam section, which sat atop Anspach’s swelling organ.
It was Atkind, however, who proved to be the general, leading his troops through the trials and tribulations of improv with metronome-like ease. As an added cherry on top, just as “Empress” gave way to the set break, Atkind hopped on the mic and asked his girlfriend, Samantha, to make her way to the stage. It was then that he got down on one knee for a proposal, and with her acceptance, the two shared a kiss and rode into the break as an engaged couple. “I’m going to go make out with my super-hot fiance,” a giddy Atkind said into the mic before leaving the stage.
Returning invigorated, Goose wasted no time launching into a three-song third set, beginning with “Borne“, the lead single to the band’s forthcoming Dripfield album, due out on June 24th via No Coincidence Records. Tripling its studio runtime, “Borne” took Mohegan on a 15-minute ride highlighted by enchanting vocal work from Rick and kinetic energy from Anspach. Dripfield would prove to be the theme of this final frame, as the debut of “Hungersite” fell in the two-hole and wowed with its lush instrumental brilliance.
Goose – “Borne”, “Hungersite” – 2/26/22
Of course, Goose couldn’t leave Uncasville without treating its fans to the first-ever “Dripfield“, which the group released just a few days prior on February 22nd. The percussion-soaked and synth-laden composition dazzled as Atkind and Arevalo transported the venue to the teetering edge of a towering palisade. Atkind’s energy and mastery of his instrument were palpable throughout this take on “Dripfield”, which stretched past the 18-minute mark and displayed Goose’s ability to work every facet of the pocket.
An easy highlight of the night, this three-song third set comprised of big, enthralling takes on the band’s newest material seemed to be symbolic of the Goosemas celebration as a whole: However bright the last year may have been, the future is brighter. The audible chants of “Goose” rang throughout the venue during the encore break, which only ceased once the band had returned for a fan-favorite, “Arcadia”.
With Goosemas VIII in the books, one can only wonder what’s in store for the group in 2022. It’s hard to imagine what venues, experiences, and new tunes we have in our future. Cheers to all that made this night happen and here’s to many, many more.
Listen to full-show audio of Goosemas VIII via the player below, courtesy of taper Mike D (VT), and scroll down for a detailed setlist of the performance.
Goose – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT – 2/26/22
Goose will continue its 2022 Dripfield tour on March 1st at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club. Later this year, the band will head out to Colorado to make its debut at Dillon Amphitheater (8/16, 8/17) and the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison (8/18). Head here for ticket information and additional tour dates.
Setlist: Goose | Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, CT | 2/26/22
Set One: Linus and Lucy {1}, Yeti, Atlas Dogs > Echo of a Rose, So Ready, Silver Rising
Set Two: Rockdale, Red Bird > Rosewood Heart, Sinnerman {2}, The Empress Of Organos {3}
Set Three: Borne > Hungersite {4}, Dripfield {4}
Encore: Arcadia
Notes:
{1} Vince Guaraldi
{2} Nina Simone, FTP
{3} At the end of the set Spuds grabbed a mic and proposed to to Sam Wray, she said yes!
{4} Original, FTP
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