Shows/1988-12-29

0 wikians attended:
No wikians attended this show.

You must be logged in to mark yourself for being at this show.

Links:

• Philadelphia Inquirer show preview; Dec. 23, 1988

Setlist: (Incomplete!)

• Ana Ng
• Shoehorn With Teeth
• Purple Toupee
• Number Three
• Lie Still, Little Bottle
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
• Santa's Beard
• Cowtown
• Piece Of Dirt
• Kiss Me, Son Of God

They Might Be Giants
TLA in Philadelphia, PA
December 29, 1988 at 8:00 PM

Fan Recaps and Comments:

Review from the Philadelphia Inquirer, December 30, 1988:

Brooklyn duo Giants brings a mix to TLA by Jim Gladstone

Fee, fi, fo, fum, They Might Be Giants sure aren't ho-hum. What exactly the witty Brooklyn duo are, however, is difficult to pinpoint at first. With herky-jerky two-minute songs accompanied by prerecorded rhythm tracks, they can't even really be considered a band. But nearly 400 young Philadelphians packed South Street's Theater of Living Arts last night to laugh along as guitarist John Flansburgh and accordionist John Linnell did whatever it is they do. And it was just swell.

In presenting a wide range of ditties that — often clunkily — mixed funk, punk, rock, country and even a pinch of polka, TMBG played not only with compositional conventions but also with concert conventions. They chatted between themselves, deciding which songs to play, then played a song about not being able to write a song. They invited an audience member to play an electronic drum pad with a gnarled tree branch. All of this was done without a hint of pretension. This is no highfalutin performance-art band; it's a playful kick in rock's shin.

Introducing the quirky, college radio hit "Ana Ng," Linnell announced, "This is a tune from our new album, Lincoln. Well, it's kind of new. It used to be newer." Linnell and Flansburgh are the new Bob and Ray. With gentle, intelligent humor and never an ounce of mean spirit, they send up a generation's major pop cultural form. Bob and Ray poked fun at radio quiz shows and answer-man programs. John and John give a whimsical skewering to rock-and-roll.

Often, TMBG is not laugh-out-loud funny; but songs like "Shoehorn with Teeth" and "Purple Toupee" couldn't help but put a smile on the faces of those in last night's crowd. "You've been really sweet," Flansburgh told the audience at the end of the evening. Same to you, guys.

Review and interview from the Indiana Daily Student, January 9, 1989:

Solos energize Giants' Philadelphia show by Stephanie McKinnon

PHILADELPHIA - Just when one thinks it is safe to go home for winter break, they appear at a local club, armed with rambunctious guitar solos and monstrous accordian melodies. One of Bloomington's Second Story's favorites, They Might Be Giants, played a post-holiday special Dec. 29 at Philadelphia's Theater of the Living Arts. This concert was part of the same Lincoln tour that came to Second Story last October, but the shows differed greatly. The contrast showed the musical and atmospheric extremes the band is capable of.

The concert's catalyst was the fact that the Theater of the Living Arts is just that theater. Yes, the audience's bottoms were cushioned by lovely velour seats, but who wants to be comfortable when John Linnell (guitarist) and John Flansburg (accordianist) are whining the tune "Istanbul"? Not many people. But angry ushers ordered gyrating audience members to sit. What happened to the Second Story slam dancing that almost sent Linnell's microphone down his throat? "It's really a downer when the management won't let people enjoy the music because then it's more difficult to create energy and enthusiasm on stage," Flansburg said after the show. "But at the same time it's great that people are really listening to our music. It gives us a chance to play our slower tunes as well."

"When you get in an out-of-hand situation, like our last Second Story show, you begin to think that these tribal dancing people don't really care who's playing, as long as there's someone on stage belting out fast, hard music." With the more attentive audience, Linnell and Flansburg concentrated more on solo development. And in the larger concert hall environment, equipped with bigger speakers and a stronger public address system, the developed sounds of the Lincoln songs were delivered much better. The vocal variety was especially strong. "Cowtown" was such an example when the lines, "I'm going to see the cow beneath the sea," were bellowed out in a resounding bass by Flansburg and then rebounded by lines in harmony with soprano Linnell. Vocal variances were strong in "Piece of Dirt" as well.

In the holiday spirit Flansburg and Linnell broke out into "Santa's Beard" in the middle of the show. And as one of their last Lincoln concerts in America, the Giants paid a tribute to one of their most faithful band members - the stick. Calling a front row skinhead to the stage, Flansburg set up the suave, finger snapping beat for the smooth song "Lie Still, Little Bottle" by instructing the skinhead to bang the legendary stick on the stage, strategically located next to the microphone. The encore lacked the placard song "It's a Long Long Rope," but they delighted the audience with "Shoe Horn with Teeth" and "Kiss Me Son of God."

After this show They Might Be Giants had a sold out concert Dec. 30 in New York and are now on their way to Europe for the Lincoln tour. "Switching to another promoter brought us much more recognition in Europe," Flansburg said. "I'm looking forward to playing Germany because we have a good following there, but I am hesitant about England. They are very pretentious about being the originators of rock and punk." After their Europe tour, Flansburg and Linnell plan to take a break from the traveling scene and return to writing, in hopes of a third LP.

Flansburg said he doesn't know what to expect for another album, but would like to concentrate more on vocal variety and harmony, or non harmony, as it may be. "Lincoln was much more serious and defined then our first album," he said. “It wasn't as insane and shocking, which is good and bad. The first album was really fun because of our odd sounds made by homemade creations, due to monetary lackings. But Lincoln is strong and well developed. Who knows what will happen next." Whatever it is, the Giants plan to bring it back to Bloomington in October. Flansburg said the Second Story audience was rather harsh last time, but still a fun, appreciative crowd.