el Goose Times - Spring: A Look Back

Spring: A Look Back
with Ryan Storm

Goose is a band that thrives in the change of season – Spring and Fall. In the era of modern Goose (read: 2021 to the present), the band’s touring schedule has focused much more heavily on spring and fall than the typical summer. As they embark on their 24-date 2022 spring run, I wanted to take a look back at the spring tours from the past couple of years as an opportunity to relive some incredible moments and offer a fantastic jumping-off point for newer fans.

Spring 2021

Emerging for a small run of dates after taking the first three months of the year to relax and record Dripfield, Goose played at Florida’s Suwannee Rising festival on April 9th – a two-set performance that set the tone for the year with energetic and tight jams. The set-closing “All I Need” -> “Jive Lee” acted as a warning to fans: 2021 was going to be the year of the Goose (at the time, we were unaware that there would be numerous consecutive “years of the Goose”).

Their first headlining shows consisted of six dates in early May, where the band debuted their new touring rigs – nearly everyone had new gear. The infamous thunderstorm-plagued May 3rd show saw the first significant foray into their new and spacey Ted Tapes-inspired jamming style with a slow-burn “Arrow” and a dark take on “Yeti.” Returning for the second night at the Frederick Fairgrounds, Peter’s Vintage Vibe made itself known for the first time in a legendary 24-minute “Creatures,” the first version of the song with the funky keys-lead groove we are so used to now. With a stop on the way in Charleston, Goose arrived at the Caverns in Tennessee for a two-night stand to close the May leg of tour. These shows would quickly become legendary, featuring the first on-stage full-band acoustic performance, the first full performance of the Jive Triptych culminating in a 21-minute “Jive II,” and the live debut of “Moby.” The second night also saw the first “Tumblé.”

Spring 2022

Hot on the heels of an incredible west coast leg in January and February along with their arena debut at Goosemas VII, the quintet played ten dates in March that stand as possibly the strongest run of theirs to date.

Kicking off with two nights in Washington DC, Goose delivered jam-filled sets with immediate landmark versions of “Drive,” “Wysteria Lane,” “Pancakes,” and “All I Need.” The shows continued the trend of early 2022 dark jamming as the band rolled on to Charlotte and dropped a slick “Slow Ready -> Hot Tea” absolutely drenched in psychedelia and Peter’s arpeggiating synth. Two nights in Nashville featured the first “Rockdale” to cross the 20-minute mark as well as an even-more-legendary “Pancakes.” A stop in Knoxville on the way north with some more dark exploration led to Royal Oak, where Goose delivered their longest jam to date; a “Rosewood Heart” clocking in at a whopping 38 minutes.

The tour then closed out with an incredible night in Cleveland (“Tumble,” “Rockdale,” and the whole second set) and two in Philadelphia. The tour-closing concert featured a four-song first set and absolutely behemoth versions of jams across the extended night.

Goose has taken the past few springs as opportunities for huge musical growth. We can only eagerly await the incredible songs and jams that await over the next six weeks – there’s going to be a lot to cover in the next issue of the EGT!

Note: We are not affiliated, associated with or in any way officially connected to Goose.
We just love the band and community that much.

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