Shows/1993-08-04
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
Harpo's Cabaret in Victoria, BC
August 4, 1993
Fan Recaps and Comments:
"They Might Not Be Prince" by Matt Pollard and Nevin Thompson
Offbeat Magazine, Oct. 1993:
"I was in Spokane yesterday," says John Flansburgh, guitarist for They Might Be Giants. "I found the place really exciting." Spokane? "The great thing about Spokane," Flansburgh continues, "is that there are pawn shops all over the place and cappuccino stands on every corner. There was a place just down the street from our hotel that sold out-of-town newspapers and sheet music. It was heaven."
Flansburgh says he finds it surprising that TMBG are in the same business that other performers like Prince are in. "Most rock music works on a consistent sexual plain," he says. "Since we're not very good-looking guys we tend to skirt those issues. It’s sort of strange that we're in the same business as Prince - he’s just so into his sexuality, and he can do those James Brown splits. In our case we work with what we've got, which I guess is intelligence."
Flansburgh’s opinion of the Washington town was probably affected by the fact that he and the entire TMBG crowd had just spent an arduous fourteen hours on the road from Spokane. They arrived in Victoria at nine at night, without the benefit of a sound check, a cup of chowder, corn, cake or creamed cauliflower to perform a near sold-out show Harpo’s.
But despite their long wait for the dinner bell to do the “dinner bell thing,” They Might Be Giants played an outstanding, elating, rowdy gig. With a backup band packing accordions, glockenspiels, clarinets, a bassist and a drummer, TMBG treated the packed house to most of Apollo 18.
Still, TMBG managed to play audience favourites from Flood and Lincoln, though never got around to "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head," despite chanting hooligans and other TMBG maniacs who had gathered to hear the band.
Mania is probably the best way to describe the show: the crowd moshed to "Bird Cage in Your Soul," prompting complaints from front-man John Linnell. Whenever Flansburgh ascended the stage-right speaker to perform blistering guitar antics, enthusiastic females attempted to pull his pants down. And, during a few of their slower songs, people in the audience actually chatted amongst themselves.
But, then, as Flansburgh admitted to Offbeat, They Might Be Giants hardly have the raw, sexual attraction on-stage as fellow performer Prince. Flansburgh elaborated: “TMBG’s biggest problem is that we're not explained very easily,” says Flansburgh. “Some people say we're a complicated frat band, but those guys probably haven’t been to any of our gigs. Monday Magazine called us 'too intelligent,'" he continues, “but I don’t see that as being a problem. Still sometimes I wish I was in a rockabilly band - rockabilly is the greatest music in the world. But we’re not in a rockabilly band, so we’re stuck mumbling They Might Be Giants songs."
