Shows/1988-10-19
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY
October 19, 1988 at 10:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Tickets were $5 for students and $7 for non-students.
A review of the show by Pete Allington
Le Moyne College Dolphin & Piper, Oct. 27, 1988
The school bar, The Underground (previously called the Milky Way), hosted They Might Be Giants from Brooklyn, NY. I had heard very little about them aside from a blurb in the New Times and a few sparse comments supplied by [my friend] Patty. The few vague expectations I had would soon be challenged with the start of the show.
With some show music in the background, an announcer summoned the two musicians. John Linnell, a skinny kid with bobbed hair, stationed himself stage right and strapped on an accordion. John Flansburgh had a more clean cut look, with short black hair and a pair of Dr. Langdon glasses; he sported a tobacco sunburst Fender Stratocaster.
From the unique Guitar-accordion composite, a unique style emerged. TMBG opened with the song "Hotel Detective," a spoof on an Elvis Costello song "Watching the Detectives," which revealed the band's zany, "nothing is sacred" attitude. Their strangely humorous and cryptic lyrics were embodied by Flansburgh's clownish stage antics and child-like singing. In the short 90 minute set, their collaborations produced an unusually funky sound and an active, energetic stage atmosphere. Although their music didn't fringe upon the psychedelic, it reminded me of another strange collaboration this summer between Bruce Hornsby and the Grateful Dead.
In the final minutes of the set, they played their most popular song, "Don't Let's Start" (also an MTV video), which sparked some excitement in the semi-conscious audience. The tour was apparently geared for the promotion of their new album, Lincoln, whose songs (played in the set) remained consistent with their funky, comedy rock style. One of the new songs [sic], which I remember clearly, "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head," exemplified their impressions of George Bush and the national presidential campaign.
On the whole, I enjoyed the show very much and it left me with a strange new outlook on music and performance.
A review of the show by Thomas Kintner
Buzz, Dec. 1988:
When asked by a crowd member where his three-foot fez was, TMBG guitarist JOHN FLANSBURGH replied that they hadn't brought the fezzes or any of the other paraphernalia TMBG is noted for with them because this is the "They Might Be Giants Disappointment Tour." His joke couldn't have been further from the truth.
Even with a virtually nonexistent stage set and a backing band consisting of only a prerecorded rhythm track, Flansburgh and his partner accordionist JOHN FARRISS [sic], put on one of the most entertaining shows on the road today. Songs such as the first release from their new album Lincoln, "Ana Ng," their crossover hit "Don't Let's Start," and the night's best performance, "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head" created an environment of pure fun which did as much to keep the crowd on their feet as the fact that the Underground has no seats.
The show's magic is derived in part from the personability of the two men on stage. The crowd at the show was more than a group of people who paid money to see a group they liked. They were actually participants in the show, as important to the show's success as the band on stage. It's the sort of feeling you don't usually get at concerts, the sort of feeling "audience participation" (read "inane singalongs") at most "big" concerts falls way short of. See these guys if you can, not just because you like their albums, but because it's fun.
