2023/3/8 Goose @ The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
Opening night energy was at an absolute fever pitch as Goose took the stage at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY for the very first time. Though these geese are together as a gaggle in the famed rock palace for the first time, Rick Mitarotonda has had some fun there as of late as a guest of both Phil Lesh (3 shows this past October with another 4 coming next week) and Bob Weir (one show in which he was joined by bandmate Peter Anspach).
Even considering the sum of all five night’s sold out 1800-person capacity attendance, it’s still a definitive underplay for the soaring gaggle from Norwalk, CT, especially for what is essentially a hometown show just walking distance from neighboring Connecticut.
Picking up literally where they left off at the encore a few days ago in Okeechobee Festival, Goose finished what they started with “Electric Avenue Thing” (as so noted on the band’s setlist). The partly scripted/partly improvised cover gave the band’s Cap Theatre debut the charged start it was so desperately seeking as uber reliable jam vehicle “All I Need” then went well past the 20-minute mark in the two-slot.
“Dr. Darkness” and “Butterflies” came next before the first top-5-in-the-catalog song of the run followed with “Jive II”. A little bit goes a long way, indeed. “Earthling Or Alien?” has become another reliable entry in jam-of-the-year brackets and this one–already the second 20-minute song of the young set–was no slouch to be sure.
If the set ended there at 80 minutes we all would have hit the break satisfied, but “So Ready” absolutely tore the roof off the place with its Big Rick Energy. This anthemic dance tune somewhat defines Goose and is another of a laundry list of songs that I’ve been pining to hear in this storied room.
The second set started with another monster jam in “Wysteria Lane” before reggae dance tune “Doobie Song” stoked an irie vibe. For my money though, the song of the night was “Drive” where Big Gong energy collided with Big Rick energy in a nebular explosion that would’ve made the image of Captain Jean Luc Picard on Rick’s shirt blush. This “Drive” hit all six gears including a full second jam that ended in a “Loose Ends” tease originated by bass man Trevor Weekz.
Peter Anspach was in all his glory during an explosive “Yeti” that saw the multi-instrumentalist play from his knees at the end of the stage while goading the crowd. (Stay tuned for video that captures me being goaded lol.) I always forget how good “Your Ocean” is until I hear it again and remember and it was a perfect end to a perfect show save for a tall stack of “Pancakes” with extra syrup in the encore slot that brought the show over the three hour mark and just shy of the midnight hour.
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Every show is the best show since the last show until the next show and that’ll never not be true, even as no night is a competition but rather an entry in the tapestry that is Goose’s still developing history. It’s an especially apt metaphor for this run that I plan to develop further over the next couple of nights. My cup is full today. Now let’s run it back x 4.