Shows/1988-12-08
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
— with Posies, The Balancing Act opening —
Moore Theater in Seattle, WA
December 8, 1988 at 8:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Preview of the show from the Morning News Tribune, Dec. 2, 1988:
They Might Be Giants, a guitar, accordion and rhythm-track duo that comes to Seattle's Moore Theater Thursday, may be the funniest act since Devo. And like Devo, They Might Be Giants manages to turn out plenty of catchy tunes amid the gags and twisted humor.
"Youth Culture Killed My Dog" and "Rabid Child" are just two of the tunes that serve as a departure point for the wit of two weisenheimers from New York, John Linnell and John Flansburgh. And though they like to lead listeners down the garden path for a punch line, they show great sense of pop timing with the placement of riffs and changes. They even play country.
Balancing Act will open the 8 p.m. concert.
"THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS STOMP THROUGH THE MOORE LEAVING A WACKY LEGACY" by Holly Homan
Yeah, Dec. 1988:
They Might Be Giants headlined at the Moore Theatre on Dec. 8 and they were not what I had expected. Their show rates a ten plus on the wacky meter and I also vote this band as one of the best performers I've ever seen. I wonder if these guys ever run out of energy. They were all over the stage for most of the duration of the hour plus show.
TMBG are just two guys on guitar and accordion. The rest of their music was on a tape. They never missed a beat, through, always staying in sync with the tape. Their sound man is to be largely credited for that. The sound was superb. They also got the audience involved by having them do car crash sound effects in three-part harmony.
But what really got the audience involved was the finale' sing-along on I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die which was complete with giant cue cards and performed in any way imaginable. They had us singing in three-part harmony, four part harmony, then the guys sang, then the girls (ala Ray Davies, but even sillier). I don't know when I've had more fun at a concert.
If you missed them this time, I definitely must urge you to see them next time around. I promise you you'll witness a show you'll probably never forget!
A review of the show by Lara Williamson
The Rocket, Jan. 1989:
Yeah, they might be a lot of things, but the bottom line is they are a lot of fun.
After lowering three identical halftones of "some guy's" head (yes, the same enigmatic image you see bouncing in the background of their "Don't Let's Start" video), the duo came out, introduced themselves ("Hi, I'm John and this is John") and launched into the show. With John on accordion and John on guitar, they filled the musical gap with a tape.
But despite the inflexibility that taped accompaniment gives, They Might Be Giants played off it well. At one point when deluged by requests, they said yes, they'd play requests but only if the audience could request the right song. Favorites were their standards "Don't Let's Start," "Hotel Detective" and "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppethead." Sadly missed, however, was another favorite, "Hi, We're the Replacements," as well as their trademark giant fezzes.
