Shows/2001-02-04
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Setlist: (possibly incomplete and out of order)
- Minimum Wage
- Why Does The Sun Shine?
- Boss of Me
- Fingertips
- I've Got A Fang
- Ana Ng
- She's Actual Size
- Particle Man
- The Famous Polka
- Don't Let's Start
- Drinkin'
- She's an Angel
- Twisting
- Cyclops Rock
- Hypnotist Of Ladies
- Spy
- The Guitar
- James K. Polk
- Birdhouse in Your Soul
- We Want A Rock
- Maybe I Know
- Doctor Worm
- Robot Parade
- New York City
- Istanbul
They Might Be Giants
— with OK Go opening —
4th & B in San Diego, CA
February 4, 2001
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Review by Dryw Keltz:
Nerds, geeks, and dorks of all ages, 21 and over, gathered together to bob their heads in unison as two bands plowed their way through an evenings worth of catchy, hook-driven pop songs.
OKGO, pronounced "okay go", not "ach-go", took to the stage first and delivered a short set of punchy pop songs with their undeniably unique style. Songs switched gears frequently as the hooks came fast and furious. The band played some originals, and at the end of the set, after one of their songs had abruptly fallen apart, busted headfirst into an unbelievably note for note perfect cover of, you guessed it, "Hold the Line" by Toto. If you don't remember this song, think of what a 23 year old guy with a mustache would be listening to in 1985 as he sat inside his Trans Am, combing back his mutton, waiting in the high school parking lot for all the hot senior girls to get out on Friday afternoon so he could lure them back to his apartment where a twelve-pack of Busch beer, a bunch of automotive magazines, and a game of darts was waiting for them.
As the crowd was still recovering from being strangely way too into the cover of the Toto song, present company included, They Might Be Giants took the stage and launched into their set with the epic "Minimum Wage" off their 1990 CD Flood. Then the band really got cranking, going into "Why Does the Sun Shine", the first of the two educational songs presented in their set. The second was, of course, "James K. Polk" which, midway through, included an explosive blast of confetti from the front of the stage. Nice! Not only did we get our learn on, we also got to see something get blowed up.
The set was heavy on material from Flood, but other songs stood-out, most notably the great set ending, "Doctor Worm" with the newly added "Mommy's all right, Daddy's all right" bridge lifted from Cheap Trick's "Surrender". Perhaps the high light of the whole night, though, was the quite funny banter between the two founding members John and John. John Flansburgh's ode to the members of the audience with fake ID's, "And if you got it in with fake ID's tonight, good job, you made it," followed by two male audience members high fiving, and his later claiming that witnessing this event had brought his rock career full circle and had provided closure was particularly silly. And then, to polish off a great show, after playing a three song encore, the lights went out again, leaving persons returned, and the band played "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)."
Nerds and dorks left satisfied. Geeks remained for a third set of encores that never happened and bitched about it over the Internet one hour later.
