Goose kicked off Halloween weekend with a bang on Thursday night, performing in front of a packed house at Portland, ME’s State Theatre. The rest of the weekend will see Goose perform once more at the Portland venue (10/29), before heading south to Worcester, MA’s Palladium for two shows on Saturday (10/30) and Sunday (10/31).
Goose jumped into set one with an old favorite, “All I Need”. Though it saw a studio release in 2020 via the band’s Night Lights EP, “All I Need” has long found itself a setlist staple. As usual, guitarist/vocalist Rick Mitarotonda lightly plucked the tune’s opening riff before drummers Ben Atkind and Jeff Arevalo backed him up and set the stage for Peter Anspach (guitar/keys/vocals) and Trevor Weekz (bass) to join in on the action.
Full of delay-washed vocals and constant switching between guitar and organ from Anspach, eventually the song slipped into jam territory. At this point, Anspach moved over to the piano, locking in with the rhythm section as Mitarotonda danced up and down his PRS Hollowbody II fretboard. Instead of breaking through to a second jam section after another walk through the song’s chorus, Goose dropped into the Anspach-sung “Elizabeth”.
Related: Goose Plays Three-Set Marathon Show In The City That Never Sleeps [Photos/Videos]
Goose – “All I Need” – 10/28/21
Up next came “Travelers”, a hidden gem from an old Mitarotonda project, St. John’s Revival. The cerebral tune led gracefully to “Same Old Shenanigans” (S.O.S), which most recently appeared on Goose’s latest studio album, Shenanigans Nite Club. From there, Goose threw it back to the band’s debut studio album, Moon Cabin, with a romp through “Rosewood Heart”. A soft tune that often contains a stellar jam section, “Rosewood Heart” flew seamlessly into “Slow Ready”, the slowed-down, synth-laden dance version of “So Ready”. This set-ending “Slow Ready” came paired with some sensual dance moves from Anspach as he worked each hand on a separate keyboard in tandem with Weekz’s thumping basslines.
 Goose – “Slow Ready” – 10/28/21
The jam-heavy second set began with a supernal cover of Eddie Grant‘s “Electric Avenue”, before a segue led to the jam of the night, “Drive”. A perennial jam vehicle, “Drive” often stretches well past 20 minutes and Thursday night was no different. “Drive” appeared in standard form, uptempo, and replete with some fabulous interplay between Mitarotonda and Anspach on guitar.
The initial jam section saw Weekz, Atkind, and Arevalo lead the group through bottomless flowing valleys. Eventually, Mitarotonda took the driver’s seat and dazzled, measure after measure, with endless lines of distorted guitar improv. After the group made its way back to the chorus, they stumbled back into a groovy, disco-infused segment that kept the State Theatre crowd moving and grooving until the very end. Anspach spent this near half-hour jaunt working his way around the stage and jamming with each member of the band. Goose would then close out the second frame with “Your Ocean” and “Empress of Oreganos”, before returning with an encore of “Butter Rum”, transforming the chilly Portland, ME into a summertime island paradise.
Check out a full, pro-shot video of “Drive” below and scroll down for a detailed setlist.
Goose – “Drive” – 10/28/21
Goose will return to the State Theatre tonight in Portland, ME (10/29) before heading to Worcester, MA tomorrow (10/30) and Sunday (10/31). From there, Goose will continue its fall tour, which leads to the annual Goosemas celebration at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT (12/18) and a two-night New Year’s Eve run at Chicago, IL’s Riviera Theatre. Head here for tickets and additional tour information.
Setlist: Goose | State Theatre | Portland, ME | 10/28/21
Set One: All I need {1}, Elizabeth, Travelers > {2}, Same Old Shenanigans, Rosewood > Slow ready
Set Two: Electric Avenue {3} > Drive {4}, Your Ocean, Empress of Organos
Encore: Butter Rum
Coach’s Notes: