Goose on Friday cleared another historic hurdle in its ascending career with a headlining performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in New York. The show at the iconic outdoor shed frequented by acts like Phish, Dead & Company, and many more signaled the band’s largest concert to date.
The SPAC concert marked the latest ascension for the band that has experienced record growth in the past year. It was just over a year ago, on June 25th, that Goose received the blessing of one of the unanimous leaders of the jam band community, Phish‘s Trey Anastasio, who joined the band for an extensive sit-in at Radio City Music Hall (along with Father John Misty and others).
The sit-in was merely the beginning of a fruitfully symbiotic relationship with Trey, leading to a joint fall tour of arenas between Goose and Trey Anastasio Band. The two acts collaborated on a nightly basis, with Goose not only earning further jam band bona fides for its rap sheet but also graduating to a higher class of venues with the move to becoming an arena band.
A continuous stream of landmark gigs has followed, from the first-ever two-night Goosemas at Colorado’s 1stBank Center to sharing the stage with the Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir, to a five-night residency at The Capitol Theatre. This summer, the band cemented its place as a festival headliner by taking top billing at Electric Forest, The Peach Music Festival, and the final Resonance Music & Arts Festival, with the latter two occurring during the same weekend.
For Friday’s SPAC show, Goose rode the horse that got it there: playing only one cover (David Gray‘s “Please Forgive Me”) and not relying on any special guests. Instead, the band showcased the indie-jam blend that has made the group a crossover sensation across scenes. From the opening roar reigning down from the sold-out pavilion and balcony along with the many fans spilling out onto the lawn all the way through the intentional encore choice of the rare “Factory Fiction”, Goose proved how the band earned its place on the SPAC stage.
Check out a gallery of images from Goose at SPAC on Friday courtesy of photographer Daniel Ojeda along with a collection of videos. After a set at Levitate Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, the band is now on a three-week break until its debut on the main stage at Newport Folk Festival on July 29th in Rhode Island. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit the band’s website.
Goose – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY – 7/7/23 – Full Video [Pro-Shot]
Goose – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY – 7/7/23 – Full Audio
Setlist: Goose | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | Saratoga Springs, NY | 7/7/23
Set One: Silver Rising, California Magic, Animal, Red Bird, Same Old Shenanigans
Set Two: The Empress Of Organos, Please Forgive Me[1], Thatch[2], This Old Sea > Dripfield
Encore: Factory Fiction
Teases:
“Tequila” tease in Thatch
Coach’s Notes:
[1] David Gray.
[2] With Tequila tease.
Coach’s Corner: This was the band’s largest headlining show to date.
