Shows/2025-06-06

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15 wikians attended: Abunchofcrap, Annag42, Antgeth, Beansf, Cowtown, John-311, Missing hed, Parisinstereo, Perspixx, Raven, RealityMinus3 & Zeke Rat, Tedadore2, Uki, UpsideDownFrown, Valerie

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Setlist:

Set 1:

Set 2:

Encore 1:

Encore 2:

On the setlist but not played:

They Might Be Giants
Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR
June 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM


Fan Recaps and Comments:

missinghed:

Such a fun, imperfect show! First set had several band members switching out monitors or battery packs, which Flans likened to changing underwear on stage. Several times the PA would pop loudly, causing the band members to question each other as to who was to blame. At least it didn't fall on the crowd. Linnell caught a guy wide mouth yawning right in front of him during Bangs, which made him laugh and repeat the chit-chat bridge instead of the proscenium one. Later while gear was being swapped out he filled time with a story about getting caught yawning in an elevator. Flans is never satisfied with the way the crowd chants DRINK DRINK, until he is. The stick made its appearance for Lie Still, Little bottle, which I know is a staple, but my first time seeing it live. Between Bottle and Brontosaurus, Flans referred to Stan as "Mr. Stallsfortime" as he was offstage getting equipment fixed. After Mink Car, Dan Levine and Stan each had horn solos leading into Istanbul. Loveman's solo during the song is perfection. I love watching Pender so much; he is always having the best time on stage being a part of the band.
The second set appeared free of technical issues, but we did have someone faint right in front of me who required staff assistance. Seems like she may have been dehydrated and was back on her feet after some water and sitting out a few songs. The band sang a birthday song to one of the techs (another John??) between Stuff Is Way and Moonbeam Rays. Marty Beller hits the kit so hard during that song I'm not sure how he isn't breaking sticks. Danny Weinkauf is a school bell virtuoso during Shoehorn, but I hardly recognized him without red pants. They played Turn Around, one of my all time favorite TMBG songs, so I can die happy now. Dan Miller went 40s gangster with "Fingatips, seee?" instead of the normally whispered line. He took over the keyboard for the last couple songs of the set, and his and the Johns' harmonies during Darlings were fantastic.
First encore included Let Me Tell You About My Operation, which in my opinion is Flansburg at his very best. And he came down from the stage to sing next to the crowd and I got a fist bump! FLANSBUMP! Particle Man included the Rocket Number Nine breakdown.
Second encore ended the night with Birdhouse, with the whole house rocking and singing along. Best night so far.

Perspixx:

I love a fucked-up show, and this was a fucked-up show. Technical problems were abound with monitors and stage gear, but these guys are vets, and it only made the show funnier as they reacted to the ongoing catastrophes (which had one member of crowd loudly requesting Disappointing Show. I love their music, but I honestly would also just pay to watch them banter for an hour while things break around them.
At the start of the show, Flansburgh told us that he didn't know where he was or what day it was, which was taken as a joke at the time, but he seemed to actually be telling the truth, as it presaged his ongoing confusion throughout the show. He got lost on the setlist no less than three times, including introducing the horns section one song early, and referencing their least-successful album one song early. Danny and Linnell always got Flans back on track, and the technical issues were solved before the second half of the set, so this one isn't in Notable Shows Gone Wrong territory, but the delays are probably what led to Synopsis being dropped from the second encore.
The band impromptu played a solid minute or so of "Birthday" (the Beatles song), with Flansburgh modifying the lyrics to be about one of their road techs (also named John) and also referencing Everyday Music, the fantastic record store that is across the street from the Crystal Ballroom in beautiful downtown Portland.
I finally got to see The Stick in-person!
Other notable banter included Fingertips being introduced as "a series of stillborn songs" which yielded an awkward response.
Show started at 8:18 P.M. Stage arrangement was standard: Linnell in the middle, flanked by Miller to his right and Weinkauf to his left. Flansburgh started in front of Miller but really just ended just ended up going wherever the hell he wanted on the stage in typical Flans fashion. Beller behind Weinkauf, and the stand for the horns section behind Miller.
The yawning story described above was in reference to TMBG's appearance at the 1998 Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle, where Joan Baez was also performing and staying in the same hotel as TMBG. I won't tell the entire story here but it was a good one.

ant:

lp24: fuck all y'all
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