As spring pushes into summer and bands fire up the sound machine in outdoor venues across the land, the jam world tour de force Goose settled into Colorado once again to give the music community two solid nights of improvisation at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre outside of Denver in early June. Maxing out at 18,000 strong, the band’s pull drew in many from far and wide, demonstrating once again that their demand continues to grow, showing their continued rise from the mid-level to the top tier. Although the band changed out drummers earlier this year, new man and jam fan Cotter Ellis distinctly showed that he was the right timekeeper for the job, rolling out the meter like he had been playing it since the beginning.
Being their third and fourth respective stops on their month-long summer tour, the quintet was energized and ready to give it their all, strolling out on night one bearing the grins of men on a musical mission. As they walked out on stage for set one under a beautiful Colorado cloudy sky and perfect temperature, the crowd let them know that they were ready for anything and everything they had to offer, making the band feel just as at home as if they were sitting in front of an East Coast audience.
With a larger-than-life smile and that now-iconic mustache, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach, armed with a Polaroid, took pause to take in the instance and snap a picture before addressing the audience:
"Colorado, how are we feeling tonight? Couldn't be any more beautiful out here. We are so grateful that you all came and that we are here in this moment. This is special. Stoked for two nights here also, let’s go!"
Under a warm reception from the crowd, the band got things going by opening the show with “Hot Love and the Lazy Poet”. This upbeat feel-good groove got the crowd bouncing in a positive direction. Originally a Vasudo tune, the precursor group to Goose, this one about a laid-back bard with a keen sense of priority focused on the love connection is a new introduction to the Goose setlists, this performance being the third ever. The rendition was solid as they come and with its backbeat syncopation and sudden stops, the execution reflected that the band was not only well-rehearsed but ready to take the night higher straight out of the gate.
Without a pause, the band shifted the pace with Peter Anspach’s choice of “The Whales” arising from a cymbal swirl transition. Handling the lyrics of amorous struggle from his piano bench, this one eventually broke free around the four-minute mark and headed skyward, building and climbing into an incendiary climax.
Again without a breath, Rick Mitarotonda kept the set rolling and drove the band into a cover of Isley Juber’s “No California” from her 2023 debut album From The Valley. As many already know, special things often happen in front of Colorado audiences, this tune was not only a debut for the band but once again showed that the group loves to perform covers that no one else is test-driving. The lyrical component of this one ran parallel to the first two tunes of the set, speaking to wistful love and loss, and was sung with conviction by Mitarotonda, pumping the emotional connection further between band and audience.
Shifting from the new and getting into the groove, the band changed the dynamic completely and slipped right into the funk trunk of “Jive I”. With Trevor Weekz’ bubbling bass line for days and Anspach’s organ thrills and synth fills, anyone who was trying to find their footing in the Goose flock jumped in with both feet and got down. Mitarotonda shredded throughout this eleven-minute jaunt, slipping between soul lines and strange designs as the drummers Ellis and Jeff Arevalo pounded it out like a four-armed machine. On a tear, the dance party continued as everyone dove headfirst into the segueing “Jive Lee”. Exceeding twenty-two minutes, this version got the treatment through and through. From beckoning alien visitation to Weekz attempting to summon the god of thunder, the band moved as one, layering and building, swirling and whirling, until closing out the piece with a huge finish that had eighteen thousand strong belting out the band’s name in a tidal wave of applause.
With a smirky grin, Anspach checked in with the crowd oh so nonchalantly, “Thank you out there. You guys having fun?”, rousing the crowd into another ovation of gratitude. Enjoying the fanfare, the band took a moment to refresh and celebrate the moment, smiling at one another and into the crowd, reeling in the shared moment of creation and conductivity.
Composed and ready to move forward, Mitarotonda pulled up part one of “Seekers On The Ridge” amidst Arevalo’s chimes and Ellis’ shuffling snare. Painted with elemental hues and intonation of longing, Mitarotonda’s telling seemed to emanate from the deepest part of his emotional well. Although the Colorado reference was missed by many, those true to the know threw up their arms and howled in an attempt to connect even more to the fleeting instance. Where part one pushed like travelers on a shifting path of discovery, the subsequent part two of “Seekers” is a different journey altogether. Meandering like its aquatic opening line, lazily passing over the ears, the lyrics began emotionally inflected, but then at the break, the piece alternates from melancholic chords to intricate composition and scale, reverting again and again, until the midsection lets loose into soul-wrenching fury.
Closing out the set, the band beckoned to the beast in everyone present with a great take on fan favorite “Animal”. Hitting fifteen minutes, everyone in The Green heeded the call to "Get up and move your body," the whole of the venue taking part in their own version of the jungle boogie. Five minutes in, the lyrics were set aside and the band got to work. Anspach got up on the clavinet get down, eliciting many to put their hands in the air as their hips shook, emulating their inner primate. Relinquishing the wheel to Mitarotonda, the guitarist rounded over and over again, keeping it all going, precise and exacting, careful not to blow the lid too early. Pawing at some great tension and release, the band pushed and pulled against each other, tantalizing listeners ever closer to the edge of euphoria, pulling back at the last moment, before taking another run, only to drive the crowd closer and closer to frenzy, eventually giving everyone the eargasmic climax they wanted. Hitting the high note and drenching listeners in the sonic afterglow of crescendo, the band sealed the deal with the final set of lyrics before sending everyone to set break.
Returning to the stage following a short intermission, the sun fully set and the perfect breeze blowing through the venue, the fine-feathered gentlemen stepped to their places once again, all smiles, ready to keep the energy of set one and the night going to the delight of the fanbase welcoming them back.
Getting into the thick of it, a swampy run on “Wysteria Lane” put everyone back on the ride. Fueled by a heavy blues drive, Weekz’ bass contribution was exceptionally pronounced as he popped and bent notes all throughout the body of the tune, his stoic appearance revealing nothing while his digitation telling it all. Mitarotonda’s vocals were spot on and the whole of the band from the first note was on point. A little more than five minutes in, with the lyrics complete, the feel went from guttural strut to polyrhythmic ether, the band really spreading their wings, distancing themselves harmonically and filling the space between with the practice of musical conversation, each member channeling the music rather than directing it, resulting in a majority of the audience listening intently to every note. The end got the slow burn treatment that ended in rapture, propagating smiles and jumping bodies across the venue as lights flashed, Mitarotonda shredded with closed eyes, and everyone held on until the apex of emotional zenith. At over seventeen minutes, this beast was a great way to dig into the dark side of the gig.
As the embers of “Wysteria” faded, Arevalo dialed up “Feel It Now” with a crisp conga call that got the rest of the band lining up to get with it. Purporting a danceable groove and great synth work from Anspach, this one had even the most self-conscious listener chasing its funky seventies vibe and giving in to the dance party that was in full swing. To say the least, this one was eleven minutes of pure elative joy that ended with Ellis and Arevalo locked in tight as the rest of the band drove the head through the clouds.
Following a short respite from the boogie extravaganza, the familiar four-note feel-good progression of “Hungersite” broadened the smile of everyone with its warm embrace. Sung with conviction and the band feeling every bit of the tune’s emotion, this one was as tight as they come. Anspach drove the hammond as Mitarotonda lit fire to the stage, Weekz rattling the grounds as Ellis and Arevalo played as one. The band blazed through the main at six and half minutes, but, as the band had proved themselves all night thus far, there was still so much to go. Slowing and drifting, Anspach took to the classic piano sound and walked out a melodic foundation, laying the groundwork for Weekz to get his line over the top. Mitarotonda rang out the rhythm, sparking the counterworks with Ellis and Arevalo driving ahead steady, quick, and blurred. Eleven minutes in, the space is just swirling, the ride spinning and grinning, ready to lose it all, but keeping it contained in one piece, the audience writhing like a singular consciousness, chasing the glow and happy to be along for the expedition. The band continues on, fanning the flame, minute after minute, providing no indication of egress, preserving the moment in ecstasy. Hitting the eighteen-minute mark, Mitarotonda finally leads for a break in the whirling storm and lays out heavy a closing energized by power chords and thunderous toms, shifting to a rock dynamic that the band is quick to jump in on. As the moments go heavy, Mitarotonda shifts from chunking rhythm and interspersed leads to full Hendrixsonian melt under the visual and sonic strobe of Goose flying high. Shutting down at nearly twenty-two minutes, all anyone could really say in the end was, “Damn!”, anything else just being at a loss.
Without a pause to relish in the sensory overload of the nearly hour-long three-song set opener full of arrows, everyone, both band and audience alike, slid right into a beautiful break with the traditional tune “Peggy-O”. Popularized by Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead, this Goose rarity couldn’t have had more perfect placement and caused the Colorado scape to glow even further than it already was. Again, Mitarotonda delivered on the vocals and looking around the venue, there were many who carried a tearful eye, a widened heart, and a soul full of love as the band took their time in all the right ways to dole out this nearly nine-minute version. Anspach added in some great guitar work and for the deadheads, seeing this next gen of jam embodying this archaic tale of love and loss illustrated how timeless the message of music is.
To close out the five-song second, archaic Indian mystic meets tech trance “Dripfield” kept the magic flowing in, out, and around those listening with ears wide open. Its haunting lyrical echo reverberated into the night sky as many spun under the reflected city light bleeding over the walls of Fiddler’s Green. Hitting the sixteen-minute mark, this version capped the night on a high note.
Pushing the curfew limits, the band exited for only a couple of minutes, returning to give up one more. Performing “(dawn)” for only the fifth time ever since its debut in early 2022, this rare choice alongside the energy, song selection, and execution of the night overall further showed that once again Goose loves to bring out the special for the Rocky Mountain crowds and feels the magic here on the Front Range.
Pausing for a moment and reflecting on the joy that this band exudes both on and off stage, it certainly makes the heart smile thinking about the success of these gentlemen having their best life. From the meteoric rise to the recognition of their peers and elders, the achievement and reward they are operating at is nothing short of magical and serendipitous, and from outward appearances, the bounty is not squandered on these lads.
Regardless of where one is on the Goose spectrum, there are many things that can’t be denied. For one, the production value of the band is top-notch. From sound to lights, this band has it dialed in and gives listeners not only a high-fidelity experience but a visual one to match. Their audio engineers and lighting director are constantly on the move, improving in the moment, and this fact shows that the people behind the stage are just as committed to the quintet standing on it.
For those who have turned onto the avian wonder, it is apparent that this band brings all of themselves to the stage every night. They share their deepest emotion with their fans and each other and appear to have decoded the formula for success on the road, in the limelight, and as human beings. These dynamics certainly seem to point to the fact that they are here to stay and it is quite exciting to see how they will grow throughout the foreseeable future.
As someone who has covered the live music experience for decades, I say to you Rick, Peter, Trev, Jeff, and Cotter, “Carry your light and love into everything you do and the miracle of this existence in whatever form it takes will bear the fruit of your souls, revealing truth and revelation to others, and in doing so you contribute to the world around you. It is obvious by seeing and speaking with those showing up in the Goose community, you are certainly on to something special and the world is a better place for it.”
