Shows/2024-12-14

27 wikians attended: Acidgirl Apostrophe T Bleachyids Bluef00t CapitalQ Chriscam84 Distantantenna Ebow Edeadguy Gen.x.catmom Harrycalder KevArlo Leebenningfield MrBig Ncrecc Raydavies Rover Ruddy Sandyjoys Sapphirebullets Shroomywoomy Soupmath Spaceship.lion SRMX12 Staffman Wbrimley Wireless mike

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Links:

• Photos & review from The Concert Chronicles

Setlist:
Set 1:

• Synopsis For Latecomers
• Birdhouse In Your Soul
• Older
• Bangs
• Cyclops Rock
• Drink!
• Hovering Sombrero
• Moonbeam Rays
• stelluB
• Wicked Little Critta
• Let Me Tell You About My Operation
• Mink Car
• Working Undercover For The Man
• Brontosaurus

Set 2:

• Video of stelluB reversed
• Memo To Human Resources
• Man, It's So Loud In Here
• Can't Keep Johnny Down
• Twisting
• Number Three
• Last Wave
• The Darlings Of Lumberland
• Particle Man
  • Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus
• Shoehorn With Teeth
• Damn Good Times
• Why Does The Sun Shine?
• When Will You Die

Encore 1:

• Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Encore 2:

• Dead
• Doctor Worm

They Might Be Giants
Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA
December 14, 2024

Fan Recaps and Comments:

Bluef00t:

Mink Car show! When I got off the Orange Line at 4pm, I noticed I could hear Synopsis being played through the fire door that connected to the Corner Mall. After thoroughly enjoying Boston Common in December, I returned to loiter by that door while eating dinner around 6pm. Sound check included:

• Mink Car, thereby giving away the theme for the night
• Last Wave
• Bangs, done partially a capella at Dan's request to make sure he had the vocal harmonies right.
• Stuff is Way! Because they "have to" learn it now, "apparently", even though it didn't make it onto the night's setlist. As someone who is... not particularly enamored with the album version, I was really surprised by how good it sounded arranged.
• Linnell did a snippet of Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands on accordion, for some reason.

Shortly after soundcheck ended, I emerged to the realization that (1) the mall had closed at 6:30 and (2) by exiting late, I was on the wrong side of the security fence, among the crew. Whoops.

I'd picked my ticket up from someone who couldn't go, so I was surprised to be RIGHT up against the stage, albeit all the way against the wall on the Linnell/Danny side. Right in front of the huge woofers, too. I was feeling every kick drum hit and bass note in my chest all night and couldn't really see the projection screen.

Show notes:

• Sparse stage chatter; all rehearsed lines and all business. Back in 2018 I remember agonizing over the pauses between songs (I was in high school, I had a train to catch!) but as an adult with unlimited time to waste I was surprised by how quickly it went. [Note from the FUTURE: Seems like JF was trying to accommodate JL being sick this day.]
• Synopsis still an excellent opener. Was surprised by the early Birdhouse, but it got everyone on their feet. "Please stand for the They Might Be Giants national anthem!"
• JF accidentally skipped past the second verse of Cyclops Rock directly into the chorus, but the backing band all quickly followed his lead.
• Maybe my imagination, but I feel like the Bostonian response to Wicked Lil Critta is extra big.
• Flans' claim that the NJ drones belonged to the band is much less of a nonsequitur as a lead-in to Working Undercover For The Man.
• Brontosaurus gets quite the response for something so new! A cheer went up from a large section of the floor just at the name of the song.
• Man It's So Loud In Here is maybe the only track that didn't sound better live. No slight to their performance, it's just odd as a straight-ahead rock number and not electronica.
• They got the whole audience clapping for Number Three and somehow we stayed in time to match the sample all the way through!
• Flans was desperately trying to get the people in the back to come closer into the aisles but the venue staff kept herding them back to their seats immediately. Whoops.
• Particle Man got the Sun Ra "triangle man take off to the planet Venus" treatment. WDTSS got the Neil Sedaka treatment.
• At one point Linnell took a panorama from the back of the stage. Danny posed dutifully; Dan wiggled like a maniac to mess it up as much as possible. [Note from the future: Seems like Dan was cropped out of the photo for his crimes of wiggling.]

John Henry tomorrow! See you there...

ncrecc:

first concert. got in late and missed Synopsis (the irony of which is completely lost on me). in the warmup for Drink!, flans teased everyone about not shouting "drink" loud enough, and afterward linnell said "that's how we're gonna do every song now" and teased doing the same for hovering sombrero ("no. please don't.") - cf. 2015-11-29 Snowball in Hell, where he says the rest of the songs are all going to have spoken word segments. stelluB did not include instructing the audience to cheer before the song.

Prisencolinensinainciusol played during the intermission. (alright!)

the crowd herding incident (though i saw little of it) was right before Can't Bring Johnny Down and i think he specifically said to "join us". The Darlings of Lumberland fucked. Last Wave fucked. dan miller played cowbell on Shoehorn with Teeth. [ed note: Marty Beller played a school bell for Shoehorn]

audience was instructed to wave their phones around with the flashlight on for Dead. at one point, i think during the 2nd encore, flans encouraged the audience to post about tmbg on bluesky.

had a good time. wish they performed Mr. Xcitement. one of these days.