Shows/1995-05-11
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Setlist: (incomplete and possibly out of order)
- Subliminal
- Particle Man
- Shoehorn With Teeth
- The Statue Got Me High
- Snail Shell
- Spy
- Twisting
- Why Does The Sun Shine?
- Mammal
- Birdhouse In Your Soul
- Your Racist Friend
- Ana Ng
- Purple Toupee
- No One Knows My Plan
- Say You, Say Me (Lionel Richie cover)
Encore 1:
Encore 2:
Encore 3:
They Might Be Giants
— with Warm Nights, ISIS opening —
Roxy Theatre in Brisbane, Australia
May 11, 1995
Fan Recaps and Comments:
A review of the show by Mark Ludlow
Rave Magazine, May 17, 1995:
It seemed like an eternity before They Might Be Giants leapt on to the stage with some bandstand crooner singing his heart out over the speakers in the background. It's been four years since TMBG last played in Brisbane and since then they have acquired a percussionist, bass player, and two brass players to replace the backing tapes and drum machine. It has really added to their sound and contributed to a very fun concert.
They began the set with Subliminal and a couple of other newer numbers. I didn't have a copy of John Henry, the new album, so I was beginning to worry that this concert was going to just show casing their newer material. But I didn't have to wait long before some of their best songs were played. Particle Man, Shoehorn With Teeth, Statue Got Me High, Snail Shell, Spy, Twisting, Why Does the Sun Shine?, Mammal, Birdhouse in Your Soul, Your Racist Friend, Ana Ng and Purple Toupee were just some of the songs played. They Might Be Giants seemed to redefine a live performance because it wasn't just a standard band playing their songs, but an actual spectacle and interactive performance.
They Might Be Giants put on an amazing show that defied labelling, but could only be summed up with the word - breathtaking.
The two geeks, John Linnell and Flansburgh, were working the crowd like old masters. At one stage during a song, John Linnell conducted both the band and the audience for a ten minute jam. At another point, John Flansburg informed the audience that it was time to do the Conga line. You had to grab the waist of the person in front of you and weave your way through the room like a big snake. John told us, "You might even end up in a better seat" but warned, "Safety first, Conga second".
After a tongue-in-cheek version of Say You Say Me (the old Lionel Richie song) John Flansburg launched in to a band introduction of the strangest kind. Like a cross between a Demtel salesman and a Jimmy Swaggert evangelist he tried to sell the band to the crowd ("but wait there's more" etc). But by this stage of the concert the crowd was well and trulv sold.
TMBG returned for no less than three encores, the first featuring Istanbul Not Constantinople, and Sleeping With Flowers, the second including Don't Let's Start, and the third a 10 minute version of Frankenstein with an amazing drum solo.
It was a truly amazing concert with a level of satisfaction and pure enjoyment experienced by both audience and band.
A review of the show by Catherine Sennett
Time Off, May 17, 1995:
They Might Be Giants graced our shores for the first time in four and a half goddamn years, or so we were told by John Linnell, one-half of the Giants' original lineup. They bounded on stage still looking like the hedonistic uni students they did when they first emerged out of America with their clever lyrics and boppy beats. Only this time, something was different. Not two but four Giants were on stage, giving Australia the first glimpse of the new-look Giants line-up. The stage was simple but effective; the showmanship complemented by a picture of a child's face as a backdrop. And the crowd were responsive - at all wild parties a conga line is a must and this gig was no exception.
They are the epitome of a party band. The Giants assured us that they were having a "super kinda gas of a time" as only the yanks do. The set progressively got funkier with the introduction of trumpet and trombone. No more drum machines and backing tapes for these guys. The new lineup worked well, giving the performance what I would have thought to be impossible - more ooomph!
They Might Be Giants exceeded everyone's expectations, even of those who saw them last time they were here. These guys know how to cook.
The Johns really know how to work a crowd. Included in the set was the controversial song 'Spot' - some of the lyrics had to be changed to please some narrow minded hobnob in government, but all the same the crowd still loved it. A lot of new stuff was played along with old fave's. The highlights of the evening were 'Racist Friend', with the two encores being the old crowd pleasers, Bird House In Your Soul' and 'Snail Shell'.
After a roar of applause and deafening stamping of feet, the guys knew they had some unfinished business to deal with. They Might Be Giants finished off their two-hour gig with their latest single Sleeping In The Flowers and the renowned 'Istanbul Not Constantinople' and 'Don't Let's Start'. The punters were satisfied. The band was pleased.
