Shows/1996-12-04
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Links:
Setlist:
- Older
- S-E-X-X-Y
- New York City
- Snail Shell
- Metal Detector
- Sleeping In The Flowers
- Counterfeit Faker
- Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
- AKA Driver
- Don't Let's Start
- Spider
- The Guitar
- James K. Polk
- Spy
- Maybe I Know
- Particle Man
- Pet Name
- How Can I Sing Like A Girl?
- Your Own Worst Enemy
- Twisting
- Till My Head Falls Off
- Dig My Grave
- XTC Vs. Adam Ant
- Exquisite Dead Guy
- Birdhouse In Your Soul
- They Got Lost
- Why Does The Sun Shine?
They Might Be Giants
— with Cub opening —
Agora Theater in Cleveland, OH
December 4, 1996
Fan Recaps and Comments:
"Eccentric rockers prove they're no novelty act" by John Soeder
The Plain Dealer, Dec. 5, 1996:
Anything goes when They Might Be Giants take the stage.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., band's unpredictable concerts often resemble performance art pieces. At a 1994 gig in New York, for instance, more than two dozen guitarists joined TMBG for a rendition of America's soft rock standard "A Horse with No Name."
Cub, a trio of women from Van-couver, B.C., kicked off the proceedings with a spunky opening set. Singer-bassist Lisa Marr, guitarist Robynn Iwata and drummer Lisa Nielsen specialized in pop-inflected punk (they call it "cuddlecore"). Songs such as "My Chinchilla" and "I'm Through with You" sported breakneck rhythms and feel-good melodies, approximating a between the Ramones and the Go-Go's.
The weirdness failed to reach such epic proportions when TMBG played last night at the Agora Theatre in Cleveland.
Nonetheless, these eccentric pop rockers ers turned in an engaging, energetic show.
True to form, they chose to cover material that other bands wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, including Istanbul (Not Constantinople), a Four Lads chestnut and "Why Does the Sun Shine?" (a children's song dating to 1959).
Giant puppet heads lip-synched "Exquisite Dead Guy," a typically offbeat tune from the latest TMBG album, "Factory Showroom." Such hijinks just don't happen at Nine Inch Nails or Pearl Jam concerts.
Then again, TMBG are fun, not the first word that comes to mind in describing most popular music these days. Fronted by John Linnell (accordion, keyboards) and John Flansburgh (guitar), the band layers witty, well-read lyrics over a mix of musical styles. Commercial success has been modest (the irresistibly upbeat "Birdhouse in Your Soul," a concert highlight, was a Top 10 hit in England), but the group has won a cult following.
Linnell and Flansburgh used to perform as a duo backed by a drum machine. Since 1992, they've recorded and toured with a full band. This time around, the lineup included former David Bowie sideman Eric Schermerhorn on guitar, Graham Maby on bass and Brian Doherty on drums.
Linnell and Flansburgh took turns singing. "Particle Man," "Metal Detector" and the funky "Snail Shell" were capably crooned by Linnell, who also managed to squeeze in a couple of accordion solos. Flansburgh handled lead vocals on "S-E-X-X-Y," "Spy" and "The Guitar," an infectious ditty that worked in bits of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
The biggest surprise of the night was hearing how hard the band rocked in its current incarnation. Linnell, Flansburgh and the rest of the group bashed out "Don't Let's Start," "Twisting" and "Till My Head Falls Off" with an intensity that contradicted those critics who have dismissed TMBG as a novelty act.
