Shows/1992-04-15
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2 wikians attended: Constantinopolitan, Joe Rollerfan
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Setlist: (incomplete and out of order)
They Might Be Giants
— with Jonathan Gregg & The Lonesome Debonaires opening —
SUNY Albany in Albany, NY
April 15, 1992 at 8:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:[edit]
- They opened with She's Actual Size, with John Flansburgh playing a single snare drum with drum brushes. At the end of the song, he drummed wildly, sending brush bristles everywhere.
- At one point early in the show, Flansburgh noted that he still had the price tag on his new guitar, and that it only cost $15.00.
- During the "la la" part of Purple Toupee, Flansburgh lowered his guitar down into the audience, letting us scratch at the strings, while John Linnell sang and worked the accordion.
Review from the April 24, 1992, issue of the Albany Student Press:
- Fidelity, Melody, and Quantity from These Giants by Lesley Schwartz
- Armed with an accordion, guitar, drum, saxophone and a generous helping of pre-recorded tape, They Might Be Giants took the stage last Wednesday night to the deafening screams of the sold out audience at Page Hall. Before the show, a cheerful gathering of young and old congregated on the lawn of the downtown campus as the sun set, anxiously waiting to see the boys from Brooklyn who have never failed to serve up their own brand of unusual wit at their unique live shows. This TMBG outing was not a disappointment to these fans. It was filled from start to end with the hoofy, geeky humor that appeals to anyone with a taste for the bizarre.
- The Giants put on pure and simple shows and don't rely on the traditional tactics of rock bands to keep the concertgoer's attention. There are no scantily clad dancers, although there is a "choreographed" portion of the show during "Whistling In the Dark" when John and John show us their synchronized hand motions. No intricate light show either, well, except for a couple of pulses from a strobe light to enhance the chorus of the new single "The Statue Got Me High". Come to think of it, there was some dry ice smoke on stage...well maybe this production wasn't too plain. Suspended from the rear curtain were three photos of open smiling mouths, complete with teeth in need of an orthodontist's touch. In the center of each was written a word; Fidelity, Melody, and Quantity. These three terms, although meaningless at the start, seem to perfectly sum up They Might Be Giants as well as the show itself.
- In the years since their self-titled debut hit the alternative scene John Flansburgh (the chubbier one with glasses...) and John Linnell (the only guy whose accordion lessons have actually paid off...) have had the fidelity not mainstream their off style. Even with the popular success of 1990's Flood, they still live in Brooklyn, still will play at small college venues, and still operate the cheesy but amusing "Dial-A-Song" (718-387-6962) where for the charge of a regular call one can hear changing messages, music and updates. Unlike some other artists who only promote their most current work, TMBG's playlist includes old favorites like "Don't Let's Start" and "Purple Toupee" as well as newer songs like "I Palindrome I" and "Narrow Your Eyes" from the recently released Apollo 18.
- Their keen sense of melody and strange views of the universe create songs that are short, snappy and to the point, and even though they sometimes seem pointless, they never fail to be fun to listen to. The songs inspire audiences to sing along and to dance to their heart's content. At some points during the show, the crowd got so enthusiastic in bouncing up and down to the quirky beats that I worried we might pay an unwelcome visit to the gym in the basement below us. A song called "Lie Still, Little Bottle" consisting of a syncopated rhythm and saxophone tones had the entire audience snapping their fingers above their heads as John Flansburgh remarked "We know that there are people who are too cool to do this, but they're not here tonight."
- Those "too cool" people missed out on a quantity of good music. Not only was TMBG's 25 song weird-a-thon worth the bargain ticket price, but a great opening act was thrown in as part of the deal. Jonathan Gregg and he Lonesome Debonaires are a talented four piece rock band from New York who have just released a disc of their own called Blue On Blonde. This hard driving country-rock received a warm but typically subdued reception from the audience. Their guitar based songs were tuneful, intelligent and contained some fantastic vocal harmonies. Even though their set was a bit long, the energy and seriousness helped to compliment and round out an evening of vast entertainment and the gigantic type of excitement we could all use more of.