Shows/2005-12-31a

8 wikians attended: Chimpoozle Craighecht Duende Ginkgotree HeyErikLeafinson Kayakcup Mizary Rightsaiddave

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Links:

• Mizary's Photos (early and late shows)

Setlist

Setlist:

• We're The Replacements
• Damn Good Times
• Spiraling Shape
• Birdhouse In Your Soul
• Memo To Human Resources
• Why Does The Sun Shine?
• Alphabet Of Nations
• Doctor Worm
• "The Experiment Begins"
• Los Angeles
• Anaheim
• Dallas
• Albany
• Vancouver
• Pittsburgh
• Glasgow
• Charlottesville
• Asbury Park
• Brooklyn
• The End Of The Tour
• Boss Of Me
• Museum Of Idiots
• Snail Shell
• Fingertips
• Pictures Of Pandas Painting
• The Day
• Absolutely Bill's Mood
• Ana Ng
• New York City
• Drink!
• Experimental Film
• I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die

Encore:

• Auld Lang Syne
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

They Might Be Giants
— with Jed Parish opening —
Northsix in Brooklyn, NY
December 31, 2005 at 7:30 PM

Fan Recaps and Comments:

Robin Goldie Goldwasser narrated the Venue Songs set from an all-new script.

Dan Miller wrote (on theymightbegiants.com):

The show went off without a hitch. Wouldn't it be great if this were true. Unfortunately, we had hitches a go-go. Finally joining the electronic world (three of use still use gas-lighting), we used a digital console for the first time. For those not in the know, these are the latest in audio technology, supposedly doing for audio what the plough did for farming. This NASA looking piece of gear was gleaming in its sparkly chassis with lots of blinking lights and self-moving sliders. I was most impressed and looked forward to hearing ourselves in digital splendor that goes well with a glass of 2006.

Much like NASA, the board proved to be a fine piece on paper, but not in practice. Those who were there, and close enough, can perhaps remember the desperate pleas from the band towards Will our monitor engineer. Almost supplicating, we offered him our first born, anything to stop the sonic bombardment that was shredding our ears. I'm guessing that there was an aggregate 20% hearing loss by the boys that evening.

We walk off stage after struggling though the set, and sit, somewhat dejectedly in the dressing room. Dreading the battle that is the second show we consider going without monitors... perhaps without our ears. A whole gig by Semaphore? Not a terrible idea compared to what we'd just been through. Ever the scrappy band, with pluck to spare. We pull ourselves out of the funk, hit the stage between shows and see how we can help fix the audio monster that is this digital board. The crew, best in the business, were already busy at work on the issues. The problems disappeared during the second set, so someone did something right. Personally, I think it was me berating the console to 'stop yelling.'

Why am I putting all of this on the record? Because in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "can't put this one out". Both for technical and performance issues, I was sure this was one show destined for the scrap heap. At one point in the gig I swear I was picking up the show from next door in my earphones. Imagine my pleasure when listening back, the show sounds GREAT! Solid performances by the boys and a good sound to boot. A really diverse set list, the songs covering a couple of oldies from the first albums (The Day, Hope I get Old), all the way up to the latest single. The Johns voices are in fine form for the duets and they start the New Year running with a few classic raps (check the sample section). Of the two shows, the second was my favorite to play, but this one is way better to listen too. Enthusiastic crowd exemplified by the guy screaming for specific songs the entire set, especially during the playing of other songs. It pleases me to no end that at no point did we play his requests.

Flily:

The show was great, as are all TMBG shows, but Northsix sucked. I wouldn't go back there. Maybe I just expect too much from rock clubs, but it was way too tiny for the number of tickets the sold, the bathrooms were gross, and if there had been a fire, we'd have all died.

Reynoldbot:

This is a review of the downloadable audio offered on the site. When I am considering shows to download, I consider three things: Venue/show's personal relationship (I went to the show, I live near the venue, it's my favorite venue etc.), set list (good songs, rare occurances etc.), and recording quality (clipping, distortion, live feel, fullness etc.). Dan Miller, in his recap, usually mentions the quality of the recording briefly. Those are what this review focuses on.

Okay, I'm pretty much just going to review the audio quality for both of these shows, since that's pretty much the deciding factor here.

Dan Miller, in his review, states that the first show has better sound and that the second one had some problems in the low end. I agree to an extent. The bass in the second show is a bit off, but it doesn't take away the enjoyment of the show at all. Both sets are incredibly entertaining from start to finish. The first set, however, is plagued at random times by feedback. I personally find the feedback of the first show to be much more distracting then the bass in the second show.

The sound quality in general is pretty good. It has a good live feel to it, not too clinical sounding. The mix is pretty decent, not as full as some other shows, but not bad at all. I wouldn't rate the sound quality to be spectacular, but it certainly isn't dull. In the first show, since the monitors weren't working, you can sometimes hear the johns straining to find the right note while they sing.

I would definitely recommend the second show over the first one. I feel that the recording is a bit fuller, and it doesn't suffer from the feedback that the first show does. Plus, it has a slightly better set list. But I highly recommend that any self-respecting TMBG fan download at least ONE of these shows. There are too many gems to pass up.