Shows/1995-04-01b
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Links:
Setlist:
- O, Do Not Forsake Me (fast version)
- AKA Driver
- Ana Ng
- Why Does The Sun Shine?
- The Statue Got Me High
- Sleeping In The Flowers
- Shoehorn With Teeth
- Don't Let's Start
- Band Intros
- No One Knows My Plan
- The Guitar
- Stomp Box
- Spy
- Particle Man
- I Palindrome I
- Out Of Jail
- She's An Angel
- Meet James Ensor
- Birdhouse In Your Soul
- Snail Shell
- Dig My Grave
Encore #1:
Encore #2:
They Might Be Giants
— with Kurt Hoffman's Band Of Weeds, Cibo Matto opening —
The Academy in New York, NY
April 1, 1995 at 7:30 PM
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Tickets were $18.
- John Flansburgh: Vocals, Electric Guitar
- John Linnell: Vocals, Keyboard, Accordion, Saxophone
- Tony Maimone: Bass Guitar
- Brian Doherty: Drums & Percussion
- Jim O'Connor: Trumpet
- Timothy Newman: Trombone, Bass Trombone
- Frank London: Trumpet
- Dan Levine: Trombone
- Kurt Hoffman: Saxophone
A show review by Nilou Panahpour
Rolling Stone, Aug. 1995:
There are only a few acts in the world that can get New York audience members to line up wit their hands around each other's waists and bounce through Academy doing the conga. Then again, there are few acts who mock "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and Lionel Richie in the same show. They Might Be Giants are guilty on both counts. Surely it was helpful that the audience consisted of a strange mixture of 14-year-olds and 40-year-olds.
With TMBG's new members Brian Doherty (drums), Tony Maimone (bass) and a full-blown brass section, Brooklynites John Linnell and John Flansburgh put on a live show that inspired ardent reactions from geek-rock lovers.
It can't be denied that They Might Be Giants write catchy tunes - the kind of catchy that inspires jumping up and down. Falling somewhere between a band and a variety show, They Might Be Giants put on a gig as bizarre as their records, exploiting clever silliness for all it's worth. They certainly moved this audience to bop around in their seats all night. There's only so much smart-aleck bantering the unconverted listener can take, however, especially when it's delivered as rock & roll vaudeville.
The ceremonies began with a recording of Sammy Davis Jr's "Something's Gotta Give," after which TMBG arrived onstage and performed the sardonic ode "O Do Not Forsake Me" (from their most recent record, John Henry), which sounded like something a baritone frog dressed as a priest in a Disney movie might sing to get a laugh. Things started to pick up when the horns, including trumpets and trombones, busted out, to be joined by accordion and, later, the glockenspiel. Boy, was the crowd excited to hear the glockenspiel. Throughout the night, TMBG altered the pace of activities, moving unabashedly from quasi-formal lounge act posturing to poking fun at wet ballads.
