2020/9/16 Goose @ Morris Farms, CT
After being moderately toned down by the professionals at Live For Live Music, this review was published there …
The unedited version follows …
Foreword from Greg Knight, written after the Drive-In shows in Yarmouth, MA …
Wow. Wow. Wow. I don’t know about you, but I’m reeling after a marvelous two-day musical marathon. I nearly teared up hearing the first notes echo through the chilly Cape Cod evening air as my favorite prodigious quintet finally made their return to the stage. To think, months ago, I was rife with dismay as the country started to shut down, concerned Goose would lose some of the momentum they had worked tirelessly to build over several years. Man, was I wrong!
It’s no secret Goose is my favorite band – I’m lucky to have the opportunity to frequently write about them. Doing press, however, requires me to maintain a certain aspect of objectivity while working to sell a product I am quite literally obsessed with; treading the line between grandiosity and blase. I now realize, my sole purpose is to try and capture the ineffable spirit that permeated each corner of the drive-in this weekend… quite like bottling up the smiles, joy, and resounding echoes of delight from a zealous fan base watching their beloved hatchlings grow into fully-formed mellifluous fowl poised to take flight to parts unknown.
Having swung and missed at the drive-in format, and cut off from the true experience like the rest of the world, I am putting an extreme amount of faith in the format at Morris Farms to deliver exactly what we’ve all been missing.
Thank you, Greg. I feel you.
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Here’s my hot take …
With respect to treading the line between journalistic restraint and outright jubilation, the latter seems to be my calling, but only when it’s called for. There’s so much about livemusic that is experiential in nature that to deny the feelings would be to deny the experience itself. Goose’s opening night at South Farms provided every ounce of what other pandemic formats have been missing … an authentic concert experience. A mini road trip just added to the hype as a small crew of bros gathered and alighted upon the farm by driving through fields of wildflowers adorned with obligatory cows, the setting sun behind as a blanket of stars appeared above. This isolated Morris, CT farm was shaping up to be the ideal locale for safe and socially distant pandemic debauchery. It should be noted that safety is utmostly paramount here which as a fan I not only appreciate but more importantly allows for these bookings to continue. Not to mention, these safety protocols guarantee a maximum of personal space for hard core boogeying. Speaking of space, mine was a front-row center pod, an 8’ x 8’ grid with an equal or greater space on all sides to shake my groove thang acquired thanks to quick reactions and dextrous ticket karma.
Having seen and quickly dismissed the FM audio only drive-in concert, the massive soundscape coming from the PA checked all the boxes that other formats have missed. With a kickass light show to match — thank you, Goedde Sound & Light! — this was a real live concert, at least as good as any pre-pandemic and perhaps better due to the high value I place on having an abundance of assigned personal space.
Goose took the stage as a quintet for just the third time ever after having officially welcomed Jeffrey Arevalo to the band in front of fans for the first time during the drive-in shows in Yarmouth, MA. While his percussion adds a layer of depth and dimension to the band, he also significantly changes the band’s stage setup as the two drummers symmetrically hold up the rear with Ben Atkind stage right and Jeffrey to his left. Trevor Weekz (bass), Rick Mitarotonda (guitar/vox), and Peter Anspach (guitar/keys/vox) align stage right to left, respectively. The most noticeable difference in Goose the quintet is how Rick is now thrust front and center, a role he fills beautifully both visually and sonically.
Opening with “Me & My Uncle”, a John Philips cover popularized by the Grateful Dead, Goose really hit the ground running for this, my fourth ever Goose show. Being close enough to hear Ben’s live drums while being shaken from the inside out by Trevor’s bass rig, it became immediately apparent that this dynamic duo is the very essence of what makes Goose, well, Goose. These two are no doubt the engine that drives the band, creating the space for their bandmates to shine and steal the spotlight. Bravo, gents.
“Flodown”, a song that really captures Goose’s jubilant spirit, followed as Rick Mitarotonda really let his badassery shine on lead guitar duties.
A lovely “Westen Sun” gave way to “Tumble”, Arevalo adding some really nice flavor on percussion while Ben exploded on the drum kit into a soaring Rick guitar solo. Peter Anspach tickled the ivories for the first time as this song alternated seductive reggae beats with wailing jams, funky keys, and rave-worthy Trevor bass bombs. “Tumble” had the kind of jams that, aside from the early hour, had me expecting them to announce a short break, as they tackled it with set-closing ferocity. Whoa. “Jive II” > “Jive Lee” kept the party in high gear before a cover of Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue”. Goose’s cover game has always been on point; it’s worth noting that the manner in which they fully own these jams and play them in their own style redefines the word fun. At this point my boots were off and serving as the tripod for these steady videos :: wink, nod :: as I danced it up on a moon mat ™ set up a short fifteen feet from the stage.
“Echo of a Rose” closed the almost ninety minute opening frame. Just for the sake of both thanking her and giving you an idea of the evening’s fun meter, let it be noted that the girl behind me bought me a bottle of water during set break to reward my effort. Class move … cheers.
A rare and tasty “Travelers” got the second set started in fine fashion with some big beats from Ben and more utterly delicious full band jams. If the “White Lights” that followed ended the show, I’d like to think that we’d all have left completely satiated. As its name implies, blinding peaks that just wouldn’t quit kept on for the better part of what seemed like half the set. Check out a chunky clip!
As the “White Light” receded both literally and figuratively, Goedde reminded us of the beauty of our surroundings as he began to illuminate the gorgeous landscape behind the stage. “Bob Don” and “Madhuvan” rounded out a four-song (!) second set that timed just short of an hour. The band returned for a raging “Disco Inferno” encore that’s worth every one of it’s 13:36. Also totally risked getting yelled at to dosie-do my buddy in the next grid. You rock, Dennis. And yes, we got yelled at within seconds. C’est la vie.
Completely obliterating what were super high expectations and trust that South Farms would deliver what no one else has, perhaps the most authentic aspect of the whole deal is being able to return to the scene of the crime as Goose completes what is essentially a two-night homestand. WHOOP!
25,740 steps of soul affirming goodness.
