Shows/2023-03-17

13 wikians attended: Bangs CJSF Hazzenkockle Hong64 MisterMe Nevermouse Oliveirach Pysgod Redcrescentmarigold Ripner RogueLeader Selfcallednowhere Vwfreak42

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Setlist

Setlist:

Set 1:

• They Might Be Giants (Alt. Version) Intro
• Synopsis For Latecomers
• Brontosaurus
• Twisting
• Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
• We Want A Rock
• How Can I Sing Like A Girl?
• The Darlings Of Lumberland
• Particle Man
  • Rocket Number Nine Take off for the Planet Venus
• Hot Cha
• Lucky Ball & Chain
• Stillub
• Moonbeam Rays
• Road Movie To Berlin
• Doctor Worm

Set 2:

• Hearing Aid (Alt. Version) Intro
• Video of Stillub reversed
• Memo To Human Resources
• Letterbox
• Minimum Wage
• Why Does The Sun Shine?
• Your Racist Friend
• Women & Men
• Dead
• Whistling In The Dark
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Encore 1:

• Theme From Flood
• Birdhouse In Your Soul

Encore 2:

• When Will You Die

They Might Be Giants
Beacham Theater in Orlando, FL
March 17, 2023 at 7:00 PM

Fan Recaps and Comments:

CJSF:

I'll leave the recap of the Johns' banter and rundown of the playlist to others. It was great to see the band at the Beacham again and even though it was St. Patrick's Day, Orlando's celebrations outside didn't really affect the show. A big deal for me was that They finally had THE HORNS WITH THEM at an Orlando show! It was fantastic! The band sounded great, and it was good to see Linnell front and center most of the show, which made me think of Selfcallednowhere and hope they were doing OK (and now find they WERE AT THE SHOW YAY!). I hope the person that lost the thing found it. MC Mens Closet lolsforever...

MisterMe:

This was my fourth Orlando TMBG show, and I too was thrilled to finally get the horns into the mix. They added a very enjoyable dynamic to the familiar Flood material, and made it possible for me to hear the magnificent "The Darlings of Lumberland". I noticed the band played "Twisting" and "Hot Cha" a touch slower than usual, which seemed more like a stylistic choice because they absolutely tore the cover off "Letterbox" and "Why Does the Sun Shine". Curious. The backwards "Stillub" was funny to hear, and trying to explain it to my companions was a challenge. It clicked for them when the band played the video back at the beginning of the second act.

I liked the various visuals playing behind the band, which showed the distinct style of David Plunkert. His videos for "Operation" and Roman Songs were nifty, so I was glad to see the band brought him back to work on these more involved productions. Also, right at the end of the show, Flansburgh tossed a copy of the book of BOOK to a fan in the first row, but they missed it and it dropped to the floor. Whoops!

Regarding the whole MC Mens Closet gag...it was so typical of Flansburgh to seize on this kind of thing. It was a bar on the stage-right side on the venue, and featured a brightly-lit orange sign with the name in bold font buffered by wings spreading out from either side. Obviously it was meant to garner attention, but I've attended numerous shows at the Beacham in recent years and no one else would dare to make this silly name a cornerstone of humor for much of the show. At this point, I can't remember the jokes, but I can assure you they had me in tears of laughter.

To think that nine months ago, Flansburgh was fighting for his life in a hospital, and before that the band wasn't even touring for ages, it brought me such immense joy to see him yukking it up on stage with Linnell like nothing had happened in the intervening five years. I love these guys.