Shows/2026-05-29

From This Might Be A Wiki


• Setlist

Setlist:

Set 1:

Set 2:

Encore 1:

Encore 2:

They Might Be Giants
Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY
May 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM


Trivia[edit]

  • This show marked the first performance of "Exquisite Dead Guy" since 2000.
    • Coincidentally, this show marks the first performance of said song to fully incorporate live vocals from both Johns and full-band accompaniment (including horns), as opposed to using recordings, and utilizing puppets for that song.

Fan Recaps and Comments:[edit]

Rosefox:

Usually I would do a full show recap, but all I can think about is "Exquisite Dead Guy."
I love that the vehicle for this extraordinary experience was a really weird, morbid, un-catchy song that's older than probably half the people who were at the show. Some of us have been carrying that song around in our heads for years and years, cherishing it in all its strangeness long after the band seemed to have forgotten it and moved on. Like "Token Back to Brooklyn" the night before, this was a gift for the people who camp out in the depths of the catalog — and yet there were so many of us, hitting the harmonies from the very first ba ba-da ba ba ba-da ba, singing loud like we wanted the band to know that the effort of dusting off the song wasn't in vain.
We hushed for the glissando, knowing what was coming. John and John looked out at us and quietly asked, "How'm I s'posed to let you know the way I feel about you?" Then they threw back their heads and sang it out from the bottom of their hearts, and nearly two thousand of us roared it back, turning what I've always heard as a tragic plea into a declaration of affection so profound that it can't be expressed in words. How are we, the fans, supposed to let them know the way we feel about them, the band? We can't. It's a parasocial relationship. They don't really know us and we don't really know them; they're up there on the stage, unreachable. But we can sing their song (one of their more obscure songs!) back to them, with them, in full voice, and bridge that gap for an instant like an electric spark.
They played a bunch of other songs, apparently. It was a good show, which I know because I remember thinking afterwards that it was a good show. I'm writing this 24 hours later and the rest of it is already fading into a blur of pleasant memory. But I hope I never forget what it was like to watch them bravely pull that song out of storage for the first time in a quarter-century and offer it to us, and to feel us all offer our hearts back to them.

SeaIntoTheLandem:

I learned from my mistake the previous night, and decided to acquire some blister band-aids so that my poor feet would not be torn to shreds by my not-fully-broken-in Docs again. That definitely enhanced the experience for me. During the day, I had to deal with dumb stuff like "finding food for myself" and "spending time doing something other than waiting before heading to the venue". Nonsense. The only thing on my mind was Factory Showroom, since the spotlight had been announced the previous night.
I ended up on the Flans/Horns side this night, and was right behind our very own CapitalQ. This is relevant because at one point in between songs, Flans made a mention of This Might Be a Wiki. He held up what I'm assuming was a printed out screenshot of the "This Day In TMBG" section from the front page, and from it he read, "This day in TMBG, nothing happened." Y'know, Flans has said he refers to this site when building setlists sometimes. Makes me wonder if he ever reads the fan recaps... Anyways, the music. Aside from Get Down, AuthTrip, and some other songs that will probably never be played, the number 1 song I wanted to hear this night was S-E-X-X-Y. And what else would it be other than the opener?! It was beautiful. Magical. Amazing. I didn't know they did the drawn-out outro part too, so that really surprised me! And of course I loved XTC vs Adam Ant, that song rules and got me into 2 other amazing artists. Pet Name was absolutely magical, I almost cried during it. God, I love this album so much.
Okay, okay, I'll address the elephant in the setlist. To be honest, I was never really a fan of Exquisite Dead Guy, it is a lower point on the album for me. But... COME ON. I cannot deny that being there to witness the returning performance of the song after TWENTY-SIX YEARS was absolutely amazing. That's longer than I've been alive. I bet it would have been even cooler with puppets, though...
I don't have a lot to say about set 2. And the new stuff... I'm not the biggest fan of Wu-Tang or Eyeball (they're the same song in my mind), and I was completely unprepared for Hit The Ground. Twisting was an interesting choice of encore song, but not unwelcome, because I like it better live. Shoehorn was a treat as usual, Marty has a great stage presence. After the show, he gave out setlists and stuff like usual and sat down at the front of the stage to sign stuff. He was literally right in front of where I was standing, so I decided to give him my Beast of Horns CD to sign. Me and a friend also got a photo with him outside of the venue! Oh, also, someone got her copy of A Bug's Life for the N64 signed by Marty. It makes me wonder what the strangest thing he's ever been asked to sign is. And no, body parts don't count.
I don't really have a profound way to end this recap. I just had a fun time. And there was one more night to go. (Plus I was going to the shows in Boston the next week!)
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