Shows/1990-10-25
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
— with Carmaig De Forest opening —
Indiana University in Bloomington, IN
October 25, 1990
Fan Recaps and Comments:
"Might Be nothing! IU concert proves They Are Giants" by Marc D. Allan
The Indianapolis Star, Oct. 26, 1990:
Bloomington — After their concert Thursday at Indiana University's Alumni Hall, They Might Be Giants can officially change their name. They are giants.
The New York duo, which jokingly calls itself "Brooklyn's ambassadors of love," cemented their status as rock's funniest act and musically one of its most underrated. Since they're not well known here, some introduction is in order. When you were a child, if you ever absentmindedly made up songs while you played, you have some idea of what They Might Be Giants is like. Take the songs and add accordion and guitar accompaniment — drums and an occasional baritone sax wouldn't hurt, either — and you have an even better idea.
Finally, imagine getting up in front of an audience of 875 and playing these songs, while adding hilarious comedy inbetween songs. Kind of like a band that would play at the wedding of Lawrence Welk's disowned son or Weird Al Yankovic if he were genuinely funny. There you go.
This 70-minute set focused on John Linnell and John Flansburgh's last two albums, Lincoln and Flood. The records are more polished than the live performance, which depends on a lot of taped bass and drum tracks.
But seeing the accordion and bass drum version of Whisting in the Dark, the double-time rendition of Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and the wild rock 'n' roll version of Birdhouse in your Soul was far more entertainment than a compact disc can provide. With Flansburgh's bass drum performance on Whistling in the Dark, he declared himself "the Energizer bunny."
He also took time to reissue a warning from Woodstock — "The brown acid is very bad" — and ask the audience, "Are you ambivalent about having a good time tonight?" Although an affirmative response followed, that clearly was not to happen.
Your Racist Friend, Twisting, Particle Man, Cowtown, Lie Still, Little Bottle, Purple Toupee, and Kiss Me, Son of God, were among the many songs designed to keep the audience bopping along. They couldn't have done otherwise. After all, you could buy a They Might Be Giants fez at the concession tables. A band has to work hard to sell something like that.
