The second of Goose's two sold out nights at Raleigh's Red Hat Ampitheater ran into a weather delay as storms were approaching. Fortunately the intense part didn't get us and we just had a bit of light rain and a wonderful rainbow! The band hit the stage at 8:45, an hour plus past when they were originally scheduled. As a result the band apologized for the delay and Peter Anspach stated "We're gonna play one big fat set and get this thing underway!"
Listen to this show on Bandcamp!
They came out slinging, making up for lost time with opening song SOS (Same Old Shenanigans) from their 2021 release, Shananigans Nite Club.
Next was Your Direction from their 2025 release Everything Must Go. The crowd sang along in full to the chorus. Guitarist Rick Mitarotonda had some nice soaring leads on this one and he and Anspach traded ideas as they jammed into a cover of The National's "Bloodbuzz Ohio".
Next they played a couple tracks from their brand new album, BIG MODERN! Savenger & POP. Followed by an excellent 18 minute Dustin Hoffman and a playful Turned Clouds.
Empress of Organos launched next (from 2025's Chain Yer Dragon) with it's apt references to "the sky opening up" it extended over 20 minutes and had some great funky jams that had the crowd grooving hard.
Rosewood Heart was another highlight. Check out the video below. Here you can also get a taste of the spectacular production from the visual team, perfectly complimenting the musical vibes. They jammed this one out over 20minutes right up until the 11pm venue curfew.
We all thought the show would be done at curfew, but I guess the band was feeling good and decided to come back out and give us a couple more. We all quickly debated if they had to pay a fine for the overtime (probably). Not only that - but ticket buyers also got a surprise partial refund in their Ticketmaster accounts the next day. Thanks Goose!
The encore included a cover of Shama Lama Ding Dong into a reprise of Empress of Organos.
I recall several friends saying that their relationship with the band has moved into full on fan status as a result of this run. While one grumpy ol' Deadhead is "Still not sold on Goose".
I had a great time and will continue to see them do their thing. For grins, now I'm going to revisit the recordings from my first Goose show in 2020 (a pandemic era drive-in experience).
- Lee Crumpton
- photos by Tim Hobert
