Shows/1992-07-09
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
— with Freedy Johnston opening —
Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
July 9, 1992 at 8:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
rkt88edmo:
- In addition to Syd Straw being there I believe Doc Severinsen or another trumpeteer from the Tonight Show band also took the stage and played. Actually, the trumpet player was Sal Marquez, who was indeed in the Tonight Show band. He participated in the audience request, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" This concert was covered by Rolling Stone.
A review of the show by Hilarie Grey
Cash Box, Jul. 25, 1992:
In many ways the Brooklyn duo They Might Be Giants (Elektra) is the musical equivalent of a Gary Larson "Far Side" cartoon—their songs take a skewed, often outrageous look at the human condition and the ironies of the scientific world with a zaniness grounded in intelligence. Their performance was sincere, joyful and never condescending, letting the bouncing audience in on the joke every time.
Resembling the clean-cut, super-smart wisecrackers from everyone's science class, John Linnell (accordion, vocals, sax) and John Flansburgh (guitar, vocals, trumpet) romped with an excellent backing band through hilariously inventive arrangements which touched on a full spectrum of styles. "Dig My Grave" turned into a distortion guitar playout, while "She's Actual Size" and "If I Wasn't Shy" were sparse and downright jazzy. One of the show's greatest moments was an extended polka jam — you could almost see steam rising from Linnell's fingers as he worked out on the rock 'n' roll accordion.
It would be tough to find an audience whose unhinged enthusiasm matched that of the crowd on hand at The Wiltern that night. They danced in the aisles, did the wave in the balcony, whooped at Flansburgh's guitar antics and twofisted double-trumpet play, and most impressively, could recite every word of the Giants' tongue-twisting tunes. Like the Everly Brothers on speed, the two Johns provided them with a good-natured, though manic set that was obviously savored by all.
The Giants brought down the house with catchy signature times like "Don't Let's Start," "Birdhouse In Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" as well as new entries from their latest release, Apollo 18, including "I Palindrome I" and "My Evil Twin" ("He even has a squid like me," [sic] sang Flansburgh). They took suggestions from the audience during a "stump the band" segment that resulted in a great treatment of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."
Tonight Show trumpeter Sal Marquez and folkie vocalist Syd Straw dropped by to contribute to the madness—most notably on "The Guitar," which incorporated an off-the-wall take on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" into its refrain, and tapped the skills of Marquez and sax player Kurt Hoffman (who also handled keyboard duties) for a sizzling brass jam. Marquez' bright accents also added punch to the creepy mood of "Whistling In The Dark."
A review of the show by Jeffrey Ressner
Rolling Stone, Jul. 1992:
THE TWO NERDY JOHNS WHO COMPOSE They Might Be Giants, John Flansburgh and John Linnell, have always used props in their live shows: Shriner's caps, gigantic thumbs [sic], that sort of thing. More often, they'd employ weird tapes and samples to supplement their sparse sound. But on this jaunt the musicians decided to get really daring and try the ultimate goof – a real band. Hey, let's face it, everybody needs a gimmick.
The good news is that this one works. Plowing through crash-and-burn polka ditties and pop sing-alongs, capped off with heavy-metal accordion riffing on Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein," the roaring three-piece backup crew gave the nerds some revenge on the dread "novelty act" label. What's more, the sellout slew of rabid young fans cheered the power and spontaneity missing from earlier tours.
The gimmicks may have been abandoned, but not the dedication to anything that quirks. Cheesy guests like former Tonight Show trumpeter Sal Marquez and boho warbler Syd Straw joined in on a few numbers, most notably a freaky cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" renamed "The Guitar." Another peak came when firebrand guitarist Flansburgh fulfilled an audience member's request for "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," and blasts from drummer Jon Feinberg, bassist Tony Maimone and keyboardist and horn man Kurt Hoffman during TMBG's own "Birdhouse in Your Soul" gave the bizarre original new life.
"A lot of people ask us what our songs mean," said Flansburgh, introducing the poetically obtuse, "She's Actual Size." It was hard to understand exactly what he said next, but it sounded like "This song is about stew." Stew? Maybe the word was actually skew. Either way, it's an apt description. TMBG's repertoire is a fishy chowder of jazz, folk, rock and pop with non sequitur lyrics. A skewed stew indeed.
