Shows/1994-12-07
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
They Might Be Giants
— with Frank Black opening —
Majestic Theatre in Dallas, TX
December 7, 1994 at 8:00 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Tickets were $19.50.
Review by Michael Corcoran, Dallas Morning News, Dec. 8, 1994:
My, how the Giants have grown, and at the Majestic Theatre on Wednesday night, the Brooklyn-based band expanded with aplomb, right before your eyes.
Considering that the latter tune, still the band's biggest hit, is almost 10 years old, it was surprising to note that the crowd of around 1,100 was so young. Given the band's quirky brand of pop and polka, however, it was fitting that an air of kitsch seemed to dominate clothing choices. Especially popular were bell-bottoms and T-shirts bearing the logos of such products as Mr. Bubble and Orange Crush.
They Might Be Giants opened in the spare fashion of their earlier days, with John Linnell on guitar and John Flansburgh on accordion. The duo slowly grew to include drummer Brian Doherty, playing with brushes on Meet James Ensor, and then a couple of low-key horn players on Istanbul (Not Constantinople).
The show looked like it was going to be a slow-building affair, which suited the overly imposing security team (whom Mr. Linnell called "hall monitors") just fine. The side-players disappeared for a brief moment as the Johns played with the echo effects.
But suddenly, over-amped drums snapped and popped from behind, the screen rose and a full-on Big Show stage set was revealed, complete with miniature freeway lamps. The plugged-in six-piece band then took off for what was, in effect, the first song of the second show.
It seems that when hardly anyone was looking, rock's merry pranksters became a great band. Mr. Linnell's annoying "nasal intelligence" vocals did tend to grate, however, as the night went on and the group worked their way through songs from their new LP, John Henry, as well as familiar tunes like Anna Ng, Twistin' In the Wind and Don't Let's Start.
Review by Andy Grieser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dec. 8, 1994:
The show opened as God intended, with John Flansburgh (the one with the glasses and funny voice) on guitar and John Linnell (the one with the hair and funny voice) on accordion playing against a street scene, with park bench and streetlights.Oh, it wasn't entirely the band's fault. When John Flansburgh called for a conga line, the goatees turned it into a measly excuse to form a huge crowd with mosh-pit potential. And a couple of surreal episodes (most notable a strobe-light interlude during Istanbul and an instrumental during Spy) ran just a little too long.
But the Giants are on their way to making it big, so they brought out four more guys to handle the drums, bass and brass. Hint, John and John: They didn't add anything. Lose 'em, even if they are nice guys.
It took past hits to carry the show. Istanbul (not Constantinople) got the crowd on its feet early on. Then Don't Let's Start - They Might Be Giants' best song, and from their debut album - got the audience moving, and Ana Ng - the Giants' second-best song, and from their second album - got the back on their feet after a new song flopped.
