Shows/1990-04-09

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Setlist:

Encore #1:

Encore #2:

They Might Be Giants
— with Flash To Bang Time opening —
Club A in Dallas, TX
April 9, 1990 at 11:00 PM


Fan Recaps and Comments:

From the Daily Campus: "John Flansburgh straps on the full-size bass drum that he used in a wild version of "Whistling In The Dark." (Photo by Seth Johnson)

"TMBG better suited to CD than stage" by Cary Pierce
The Daily Campus, Apr. 11, 1990:

Club A is not an orthodox concert hall, nor is it meant to be. Its design is geared toward new music and dance − with all the goodies that go along with that image − black lights, smoke machines, disco spits, etc. The stage, a rather odd temporary construction, is placed on top of the main bar. There are no chairs blocking direct view of the stage.

The show was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. I got there at 8:15 − thinking I was a little late − but [Flash To] Bang Time didn't start until 9:40 p.m. TMBG didn't hit the stage until 11 p.m. and finished a bit after midnight. Four hours of standing − that's a long time. I learned a lesson: don't go to Club A for concerts. Why all the hype about the lack of comfort? I have to tell it like I saw it.

Even when TMBG finally came out, the stage was rather bare − only the two members, John Flansburgh (vocals and guitars) and John Linnell (accordion and vocals), two wooden columns holding a metronome, a bass saxophone (the biggest and baddest of the sax family), two microphones, an accordion and a guitar rested on the platform. Hidden upstage was Flansburgh's full-size strap on bass drum that he used in a fun, wild version of "Whistling In The Dark," a cut off their latest Elektra release, Flood. Most of the show's background music (drums, keyboards,) was pre-recorded and triggered from stage. Flansburgh has been hailed as a specialist in creating fake-you-out drum patterns that truly replicate those of an ordinary drum kit, but I didn't fall for the trick. The duo played and sang on top of the "back tracks" rather than with them. There was very little blending. The performance revived images of Tom Cruise running around a living room singing "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" and playing with the fireplace poker. TMBG gave us a grown-up lip sync.

The duo even botched a few of their cues − something that is very easy to do and not easy to mend when you're not working with humans.
"A lot of people think that since we're just two guys that it can't be a very exciting show," said Flansburgh. "But our show is very high energy and very sweaty."
Sweaty it was for Flansburgh but not for laid-back Linnell. The latter didn't crack a smile the entire show, nor bounce or tap so much as a foot, while his partner hopped around the stage like a kid on a pogo stick. Flansburgh even threw his guitar to the stage floor and dragged it around by the strap − interesting sounds and truly hilarious. Flansburgh was friendly and bubbly and interacted well with the audience. For a while it was a nice contrast: introvert/extrovert, nice guy/not so nice guy, but after a while I wanted to run up on stage and yell, "Shake your foot Homer, do something!" I didn't and neither did he.

TMBG deserves a break, though. Most of their early cult gathering gigs were in small pub-type venues on the lower East side of Manhattan. Their act would have gone over a lot better in that type of environment, where the audience could be right in their face. The contrast then wouldn't have been so distinct. TMBG is not destined for huge, sold-out Madison Square Garden gigs, but that doesn't seem to be what they want.
"We weren't waiting to get signed," said Flansburgh. "It was a hobby when we started. It was strictly for fun. We figured if it wasn't fun now it wouldn't be fun later. We had no calculated plan for getting famous."
But now they are known, and their debut release Flood is at the top of the college charts. Its 19 songs are entertaining, comical and definitely worth the money. TMBG's biggest hit, "Birdhouse In Your Soul," has reached No. 1 on the college charts and was quite good live. Buy the album, but the next time TMBG comes to town don't expect a normal concert. They're not a normal band. Better to let your stereo crank out "Particle Man" and giggle as Flansburgh and Linnell bring out the funnies in all of us.


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