Shows/1995-05-21
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Links:
Setlist: (Incomplete and possibly out of order)
- The Statue Got Me High
- Why Does The Sun Shine?
- Birdhouse In Your Soul
- Ana Ng
- Your Racist Friend
- Everybody Conga
- No One Knows My Plan
- Dig My Grave
- Stomp Box
- Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Encore 3:
They Might Be Giants
— with The Doris Days opening —
The Powerstation in Auckland, New Zealand
May 21, 1995
Fan Recaps and Comments:
Show review by Bronwyn Trudgeon
Rip It Up, Jun. 1995:
Tonight's theme is Fuego, as in fire. Tonight was almost dubbed Shit Night. Maybe They Might Be Giants were disillusioned by their low pre-sales low enough for upstairs to be closed off. But it meant there was plenty of room for dancing, and you could never get a bunch of conga lines out of a seething mosh pit, could you? More on that later.
First up, a swell named band called the Doris Days took the stage. They played the only kind of pop better than the simply shiny kind of pop that is the shiny and fast kind of pop. They delivered a tight set of mostly "songs about screwed up relationships". which proved as infectious as that nasty virus the two boys next to me thought was such an appealing topic of conversation Ebola. Some people should really get out more. The Doris Days should play around more. Next stop, the main attraction.
After two encores and their trademarked cover of the Edgar Winter Band's 'Frankenstein (which featured a massive drum solo from the man with the mile wide smile, Brian Doherty), John Flansburgh made good on the guitar wrecking he'd been threatening his instrument with, and pulled the bastard's-strings off. All of you who so obviously were not there missed out big time even my nerd spotting partner endorses that sentiment. Hoorah! A convert.
"I've never seen so many nerds in my life, commented my partner, who was a bit iffy about attending in the first place. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was very friendly and the fans were certainly dedicated. I felt like I was at someone's house where the parents were out of town, and the clandestinely invited guests (all adults, I should point out) were anticipating the biggest night of their collective lives. They Might Be Giants did not disappoint them. In fact, they excelled any possible expectations by leaps. bounds, and a few well placed strikes on the glockenspiel. I'm talking talent to burn, and it was a mighty fire they stoked. Fuego indeed.
Starting with 'The Statue Got Me High", the now six-piece band blasted through a formidable set of hits and album favourites, in a typically expansive range of styles. The crowd went wild. They did the twist and the swim. They pogoed (to Dig My Grave and 'Stomp Box'), laughed and screamed a lot. They knew all the words to all the songs (except, obviously, "Why Does The Sun Shine?', which nobody except John Linnell could possibly know all the words to). and when put to the ultimate test, I'm buggered if they didn't conga. We congaed. A brassily extended No One Knows My Plan was the perfect soundtrack to the mania.
While material from John Henry predominated (and highlighted the newer members of the fan base), the most rapturous response was reserved for old favourites 'Birdhouse in Your Soul', 'Racist Friend', 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and 'Anna Ng'[sic] (which finally appeased the persistent roust-abouters who'd been chanting for it since the minute the band walked on).
