San Francisco Feat: Goose Makes Warfield Debut

The legendary Warfield Theatre in San Francisco hosted Goose last night for the first of two shows as the Connecticut quintet reaches closer to the end of their spring tour. The storied room has hosted legendary moments across the jam band world like the Grateful Dead’s 15-show run in 1980, numerous Jerry Garcia Band shows, the incredible Phil & Phriends run in 1999 … the list goes on.

When Goose took the stage last night, one might expect such massive figures to loom large over the vibe in some fashion – but the band did not seem to be playing in anyone’s shadow, even for a second. The opening “Drive” and its flamethrower guitar solo from Rick Mitarotonda immediately set the tone for two blazing sets that were unmistakably Goose.

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Firing up “Jive II” next, guitarist/keyboardist Peter Anspach took a spin on clavinet and organ with a huge grin on his face ahead of another standout Mitarotonda guitar solo. “Lead the Way,” a beautifully written song about the lead guitarist’s dog from many years ago, popped up again after a relatively short show gap – it had been unplayed from October until last week, so many in the crowd were ecstatic to see it return to regular rotation last night. While the jam may not have lasted a long time, it did what it does best – opened up some beautiful space and textures, especially from Anspach’s Vintage Vibe electric piano.

By this point in the set, FOH sound engineer Eric Loomis had the room totally dialed in, with each bass bomb from Trevor Weekz vibrating through the floor and every note from the quintet coming through crystal clear.

“Same Old Shenanigans” was tapped next and saw another gorgeous and soaring solo from Mitarotonda as Weekz laid down some deep low end. “SOS” doesn’t vary much from version to version but is always guaranteed to be 15 minutes of pure energy and joy.

A fiery and rocking “Bob Don” led into the first true jam of the show – “Pancakes.” Beginning the improv with a calm piano-led jam, Mitarotonda gradually began to work his guitar playing into Anspach’s riffs, crafting some amazing interplay between the two. Weekz also utilized some very melodic bass riffs to intertwine with the guitar and keyboards as the music continued to take shape. Drummer Ben Atkind kept an incredibly solid foundational groove going as Mitarotonda flirted with minor-key riffs.

Opting instead for a beautiful major modulation, Goose took flight into a melodic and emotion-tinged space that they explored for a little while before diving headlong back into the minor. This driving mode led smoothly into the ending of “Pancakes” as percussionist Jeff Arevalo let loose on his rig for his customary ending solo.

Set break ended with the band wishing a happy birthday to tour manager Sam King, bringing her a cake on stage – the crowd raucously sang to her before the band started up an unexpected cover of Devo’s “Whip It.” The party vibe continued with an “Animal” that saw Mitarotonda work a “Streets of Cairo” tease into the laid-back jam. “Into the Myst” was tapped next and saw the first true extended improvisation of the set.

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Eschewing the normal build jam for a mellow and serene space, Anspach’s Vintage Vibe provided a beautiful foundation for the space as it hinted at “Dragonfly” themes almost immediately. Goose likes to toy with the motif from the Ted Tapes cut frequently so there was little expectation that the song would actually get played as the space jam got even deeper.

As Anspach subtly worked in the main “Dragonfly” riff, the rest of the band joined him in the song slowly but with purpose, marking a smooth and patient transition. Mitarotonda and Weekz’s interplay especially shone here as the two traded licks like the old friends they are. The first outing of the track since June 10, 2022 (79 shows) was explosive as the fiery second part got faster and faster with peak after peak after peak.

The crowd was in a veritable frenzy as the band started into Anspach’s tune “Red Bird,” and each audience member stood ready for some serious jamming. Goose delivered with a 21-minute rendition that showcased the drummers – much like many of this spring’s top jams.

Atkind and Arevalo smashed into a tom and percussion-heavy space that seemed to inspire Mitarotonda’s percussive and staccato playing early on. Feeling almost like a “Dripfield” beat at times the music continued into a darker space with lots of dissonant octave-up chirping from Mitarotonda’s Whammy pedal.

Anspach introduced a descending progression that the band would lock on to for the remainder of the jam as the drums continued to drive the improv. Tension built and built before “Red Bird” closed with a peak of absolutely epic proportions. The peak led to some brief dissonance that resolved itself into the first cover of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” in 50 shows. The San Francisco crowd ate up the cover with an incredible amount of energy as the band hit several screaming rock peaks.

The second frame at the Warfield closed with the power ballad “Your Ocean” – Anspach’s Vintage Vibe once again filling the room as Mitarotonda’s soaring leads drove the emotional song to a beautiful peak.

Encoring with a purposeful “Butter Rum,” Atkind immediately pushed the jam into a slick and driving groove that saw Mitarotonda get seriously shreddy one last time to close out the show.

Goose returns to The Warfield tonight for another sold-out show. Livestreams are available for free to nugs.net subscribers.

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Setlist via El Göose.net

Set One: Drive, Jive II, Lead The Way, Same Old Shenanigans, Bob Don > Pancakes

Set Two: Whip It[1], Animal[2] > Into The Myst[3] -> Dragonfly, Red Bird > Magic Carpet Ride[4], Your Ocean

Encore: Butter Rum

Coach’s Notes:

• [1] Devo.
• [2] With Streets of Cairo tease from Rick.
• [3] Unfinished.
• [4] Steppenwolf.

Source: JamBase.com