Shows/1992-04-03
You must be logged in to mark yourself for being at this show.
Links:
Setlist: (Incomplete!)
They Might Be Giants
— with Freedy Johnston ft. Otis Ball opening —
Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA
April 3, 1992
Fan Recaps and Comments:
"Athens audience might be mad about Giants" by Patrick Neal
The Red and Black, Apr. 6, 1992:
It's hard to imagine that a jaded Athens audience could go completely mad over a couple of honest-to-goodness nerds playing accordion music. That's exactly what happened when They Might Be Giants played the sold-out Georgia Theatre Friday evening.
Linnell promised that the band would come back to play Athens again some time this summer. If that show is half as entertaining as Friday's was, it should be fine indeed.
TMBG is two Johns (Linnell and Flansburgh) from Brooklyn who have cultivated a loyal college following over the years. Musically speaking, they are virtually unique. Their songs are rife with bizarro non-sequiturs and absurd humor. What other band would have lyrics like "Not to put too fine a point on it/Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet" or "Everybody wants prosthetic foreheads on their real heads?" If Monty Python had been musicians instead of comedians, they might have sounded like They Might Be Giants.
Friday's performance was one of the best Athens shows I've seen in quite some time. It was the first time I'd ever seen Messrs, Linnell and Flansburgh live, and I was pleasantly surprised. Their affable, nerdy style translates well to the stage, and their self-effacing attitude is a pleasant break from the sort of self-important posing that you often see from major-label acts. In other words, TMBG isn't so professional that its members can't have a good time on stage; I honestly believe they enjoyed this show as much as I did.
Athens was the first stop on the tour supporting their new album, "Apollo 18." The set showcased some of their new material like "Mammal" and "I Palindrome I," as well as old favorites like "Don't Let's Start" and "Anna Ng."[sic] The crowd ate their geeky antics up, and erupted into impromptu sing-alongs several times during the set.
This isn't to say that everything about the show was perfect. They Might Be Giants seemed a little rusty from time to time, and at one point Linnell apologized, saying "That song usually doesn't suck that bad."
