Summer 2022: Leg Two Recap

Kicking off the run on August 12th was a two-night stand at Columbia, Maryland’s Chrysalis at Merriweather Post Pavilion. A solid first set that saw a deeply jammed out take on The Who’s “My Generation” began the night before Goose dropped the second 35-minute “All I Need” of the summer. While 6/10’s really ventured into some deep, dark playing, the version played at Chrysalis was second-jam-focused, embarking on a blissful excursion that showcased the band’s consistent precision and tightness. 

The second night at Chrysalis brought back “Atlas Dogs’” original arrangement for the first time since 3/4 as it segued phenomenally into a stretched-out and raging “Echo of a Rose.” The real improvisational highlight of the show and Chrysalis run would reveal itself during the “Earthling or Alien?” that opened the second set. Evil synths from Peter’s Moog Matriarch swept over the sparse groove created while Rick dealt with a broken string. Probing the deep, dark depths of their jamming toolkit, Goose delivered an E or A for the ages.

Moving westward to Colorado, the beautiful Dillon Amphitheater was the site of a two-night stand leading up to the band’s Red Rocks debut. A well-jammed “Time to Flee” came early in the first set of 8/16, followed up by the debut of “Indian River’s” ‘80s synth’ arrangement, a cool and breezy vibe that adds another chapter to the song’s long and varied history. The first outing of “The Labyrinth” since January into “Hot Tea” closed out the frame. In the second set, an exceptional pairing of “A Western Sun” -> “Moby” was an improvisational highlight, Peter’s smooth Vintage Vibe work acting as the perfect bridge from the soaring melodies of the AWS jam into the massive bass bombs of the ensuing Ted Tapes cut. “Pancakes,” strong as always, closed out the second set before “Doobie Song” got its first play since March and marked its fourth consecutive appearance in the encore slot.

The first set of 8/17 eased in with a laid-back “California Magic” before Rick absolutely torched the venue during “Switchin’,” also notable for Peter hitting his Hammond C3 organ instead of his usual guitar solo, a most welcome change to a fantastic cover. “Borne” was up next, and the lead single from Dripfield went on its most adventurous outing yet, moving from the triumphant Rick solo to the groovy extended jam. This excursion took a dark turn (including “Tumble” teases!), eventually collapsing into the wild and dissonant “Dr. Darkness” intro.

 A typically-strong cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Mississippi Half-Step” ended one of the finest first sets of the year on a high note. For the second set, we were introduced to the “jagged churn” jam via the “Wysteria Lane,” featuring Peter frantically shredding dissonance on top of a pounding drum groove while Rick pulled switches from bliss-laden peaks to darker sections. Still making a case for 2022 MVP, no version of Wysteria is to be overlooked! A debut of a cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life” came ahead of a classic Goose fourth quarter segment in “Rosewood Heart” > “Rockdale” > “Your Ocean” > “Madhuvan” and a “Turned Clouds” encore.

Red Rocks was already one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year, even more so than Goosemas in February. Playing to their largest crowd at a headlining show yet, a capacity number of 9500, the packed and historic venue was treated to a rager of a night. Opening with a strong pairing of “Hungersite” > “Silver Rising,” the jamming highlight of the show came in “Tumble,” which touched on the ‘jagged churn’ theme from 8/17’s Wysteria once again. “Seekers on the Ridge,” “Animal,” and “Arcadia” rounded out the first set – more classic Goose. 

At setbreak, a video was played for those in attendance announcing that Goosemas would take place at Colorado’s 1STBANK Center over two nights in December, something met with raucous cheers from the crowd. The second set, while cover-heavy, had some strong moments in Arrow, the cover debut of The National’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (a crowd-favourite cover), and Moniker’s “Milestone 2 (Skux Life),” a somewhat obscure debut. Subverting almost everyone’s expectations of a “Dripfield” encore, the band brought forth the first electric “Elmeg the Wise” since January, a gorgeous and soaring pick to close out a historic night.

Moving from the milestone show at Red Rocks, Goose cut loose at the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas on 8/20, dropping a party show that featured a wild sit-in from an Elvis impersonator on the second-set-opening “Don’t Be Cruel.” Don’t sleep on this show, however, as the first set’s “Earthling or Alien?” gets out there with some wild Rick fireworks and Trevor bass bombs and the second set’s “All I Need” packs a lot of fire into its relatively brief 11 minutes.

A very on-the-nose “California Magic” opener at LA’s Greek Theatre was the first song of a song-heavy show, treating west coast fans to the wide selection available in Goose’s catalog. A sit-in from Lucius at the end of the second set on “Slow Ready” and a cover of Peter Gabriel-original “In Your Eyes” added an incredible vibe to both songs – a ‘Goocius’ collaboration that I definitely hope to see again. In the second set, we were treated to the full ‘Driptych’ – “Borne” > “Hungersite” > “Dripfield,” as seen on the album. A fun sit in from The String Cheese Incident’s Jason Hann during the show-closing “Hot Tea” brought the fun night to a close.

The Loggins Suite made its return in Tahoe on August 23rd in a show with a fantastic and funky extended “Animal” and a well-jammed pairing of “Rosewood Heart” and “Creatures” in the middle of the second set.

At the final headlining show of the summer in the heart of downtown Portland, Oregon, Goose offered an almost “Time to Flee”-like “Elizabeth” jam ahead of the latter appearing later in the set. “Wysteria Lane” gave another standout appearance as the second set opener here, being led from darkness to the light by Peter on organ and crafting a lovely bliss jam. Later in the set, a slow and patient Empress build led to one of the best versions of the year.

Goose closed the final leg of their Dripfield Summer Tour with two festival appearances; THING in Port Townsend, WA and Sacred Rose in Bridgeview, IL. Highlighted by an impressive Cory Wong sit-in at Sacred Rose, his distinct guitar-playing styles, both rhythm and lead, highlighted the “Hot Tea” as a version not to be missed.

While there weren’t as many standout massive jams on this leg of the tour as in June, Goose is still constantly evolving and finding new ways to push the envelope – this fall, both on their headlining October tour and TABoose in November, is poised to be even bigger for the band’s growth as they move into larger venues and expand their sonic palette in jams. 

Wherever you may be seeing them…you’re in for a serious treat.