Shows/2018-04-27

13 wikians attended: Bluef00t Catspajamas Chriscam84 Ebow Kethera Leebenningfield LouRocco Redheadedsnippet Riptor3000 ScottyB SRMX12 Tape Timothymh

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Setlist:

Set 1:

• Let's Get This Over With
• Damn Good Times
• The Mesopotamians
• This Microphone
• I Left My Body
• Your Racist Friend
• Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal
• The Guitar
• Whistling In The Dark
• All Time What
• Which Describes How You're Feeling
• Authenticity Trip
• When The Lights Come On
• Bills, Bills, Bills
• Spy

Set 2:

• Last Wave (Demo)
• Quiet Storm:
  • Older
  • I Like Fun
  • A Self Called Nowhere
  • James K. Polk
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
• Wicked Little Critta
• Twisting
• Mrs. Bluebeard
• Lie Still, Little Bottle
• Don't Let's Start
• Music Jail, Pt. 1 & 2
• Dead
• New York City
• Fingertips

Encore 1:

• When Will You Die
• Birdhouse In Your Soul

Encore 2:

• Particle Man
  • Here You Come Again
• Doctor Worm

They Might Be Giants
House of Blues in Boston, MA
April 27, 2018

Fan Recaps and Comments:

This was only my second TMBG show, but the band seemed a bit rowdier than they had in Maine--perhaps it was because of the less fancy venue. Banter and other fun stuff that I remember below:

• On Racist Friend: "This song was actually released 1,000 years ago on this very night." JF: "Back when our manager was a triceratops." Both Johns began making T-rex arms, with Linnell explaining that the T-rex hands were for rubbing together deviously when talking about the money they'd make. Flans kept repeating "leaves! branches!" in a dinosaur voice for the rest of the introduction.
• "So what were you doing today, John?" JF: "Composing my will, actually." Cue audience laughter. JL: "That sounds like the setup to a joke...But it's not." Flansburgh declared that his estate was valued at $36..."and that's $36 that my so-called 'heirs' aren't getting a PENNY of!" After some deliberation, he decided he was giving all $36 to Linnell, who grinned deviously and rubbed T-rex hands together. "I can't wait."
• Linnell pointed out that some nights, the introduction to Which Describes How You're Feeling gets dragged out to longer than the actual song. "But we won't do that to you tonight. Or WILL we?" They did. They kept talking for at least twice the song's length, with both Johns pretending to check nonexistent watches the entire time.
• Extra loud cheers for A Self Called Nowhere and Wicked Little Critta, of course. Sadly, no jokes were cracked at Boston's expense.
• Spy's improv section had what seemed to be utterly impromptu death metal vocals from JL. Picture Linnell gutturally screaming something like "NOWWWHHTHENIGHTISGOOOOONE" repeatedly as the band goes bananas behind him. Good times!
• The Quiet Storm was introduced as the "Tantalizing Storm". "Where it's often quiet, and always tantalizing."
• Linnell called James K. Polk "a total douchebag. Not to get too political."
• They (falsely) claimed that When The Lights Come On was their first ever typo on an album. JF: "So much for our band motto, which was 'Try Not To Fuck It Up.'" JL: "Now our motto is just 'Oh Well'."
• Flansburgh dedicated Mrs. Bluebeard to a man who kept shouting song requests at them. (The song sounded a little slower in tempo, but that could have been my imagination.)
• Flans reminisced about being a highschooler who'd travel into Boston to see big-name New York bands who inconsiderately didn't start their shows until 11:45 at night, and then just talked and talked until he missed the last Green Line out of town. He complained about those "fucking New Yorkers" and how all the bands seemed to get an ego and move to NYC as soon as they got rich. He grinned evilly into the crowd. "But don't worry," he said. "The last train leaves at 12:30, you can catch that one."
• THE STICK! As promised on Twitter, the show had the last-minute addition of Lie Still with a take-out-the-stage-lighting-height PVC pipe. Flansburgh didn't even have to announce it: he simply began putting on a pair of black gloves and the audience took up the cue to begin chanting for the Stick. In practice, it looked a little hard to work with. It was pretty unbalanced, and so heavy he had to pause once or twice during the song. In spirit, it was a total success.

Unfortunately, I had to leave soon after Music Jail. After all, it was late, I'm in high school, and had to catch the Green Line to the last train out of town. Which actually left at 12:10, Mr. Flansburgh.

Ugh, New Yorkers.

--Bluef00t (talk)