Shows/1994-04-16a
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Links:
- The Michigan Daily listing, Apr. 11, 1994
- The Michigan Daily listing, Apr. 15, 1994
- The Saginaw News review
Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI
April 16, 1994 at 8:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Performed at the Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus, presented by 89X and U-M Major Events & Senior Days '94.
From an article about alternative music by Thomas Nord
The Saginaw News, Apr. 21, 1994:
If you were among the 2,000 or so eggheads and musical nerds (like myself, I should note) who packed Ann Arbor's Hill Auditorium last Saturday, you enjoyed another action-packed evening with Brooklyn's ambassador's of love, They Might Be Giants.
As always, John Flansburgh and John Linnell played with seamless (some might say unhuman) intensity, staying on stage for a good 90 minutes. That's a lot of bang for your buck, considering that they play every song up-up-tempo.
A new album, titled "John Henry," is promised for late summer.
Success can spoil a good thing, but in the Giants' case, doing well means they can now tour with a live horn section (integral to their quirky sound) and rhythm section. Stalwarts will remember their early club days, which were sometimes plagued by technical glitches in the pair's complicated system of pre-recorded backing tracks.
Not unlike a bizarre, post-modern Grateful Dead show, the Giants' encouraged their fans to sing along, and they rewarded with numerous favorites including "Don't Let's Start," "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "Purple Toupee," and my particular fave, "Chess Piece Face."
The highlight, though, was a sincere cover of Edgar Winter's classic dirge "Frankenstein," complete with cheesy, early '70s synth-noodling. A goofy masterpiece if there ever was one, it was aptly fitting.
