Goose at Red Rocks

Goose
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Denver, Colorado
October 5, 2023

Goose opened their two-night sold-out stand at Red Rocks on Thursday night with their typical three-hour show populated by original compositions, some covers and, of course, plenty of jamming. Goose is, after all, a jam band.

Guitarist/vocalist Rick Mitarotonda is the leader of the band, much like Warren Haynes leads Gov't Mule. Mitarotonda sang lead on almost all the songs and was the main soloist by far. Peter Anspach, second in command, sang harmony on most songs and lead on one or two. He also was the band's spokesperson commenting on the venue and hoping to see everyone the following evening. Instrumentally, he was a double threat on both keyboards and guitar. Although he attracted the spotlight for several solos on both guitar and keyboards, his "Time Spent Soloing" (TSS) was eclipsed by Mitarotonda by a factor of about 5 to 1.

The rhythm section featured a drummer, percussionist and bassist. Trevor Weekz on bass did his best John Entwistle imitation by standing stoically stationary (stock-still) while laying down a supportive yet intricate low end. Weekz finally got a solo on the last song of the second set. The sound board turned him up for his moment of glory. The rest of the time, most of his efforts didn't make it all the way up to row 51. The rest of the time, those of us in the cheap seats had to rely on watching his contributions.

Ben Atkind on drums and Jeff Arevalo on percussion never did get a solo (or duet), but they were effective in laying down danceable groove after danceable groove as a backing for Mitarotonda's frequent guitar excursions. As a pair, they were most effective when Arevalo played congas as Atkind worked his trap set. That combination provided the most percussive sonic depth. A good example of that was during the first several minutes of "Feel It Now." A highlight was "The Labyrinth" which proved to be a tour de force which started with a mysterious, menacing vibe and eventually morphed through many changes including a bit of a Baroque interlude, before it reached a satisfying climax. Goose's progressive rock forebearers would be proud.

During the course of the three-hour show, Mitarotonda's TSS surely exceeded an hour. Fortunately, he was a font of continual new ideas. He displayed a fluid style somewhat along the lines of Dickie Betts only with fewer triplets. He wasn't a flame-thrower, trying to cram as many notes into a single measure as possible, but rather he opted for a melodic, flowing approach in his improvisations.

Mitarotonda doesn't have the strongest voice in the music business, but this is a jam band where much higher premiums are paid for instrumental prowess than for vocals. However, the harmonies with Anspach (and sometimes Arevalo) were spot-on throughout the evening. In comparison to other jam bands or even rock bands in general, this is no small feat. Technical advances with in-ear monitors may very well play a part.

For the most part, Goose's music is rock based with easy to digest chord progressions and plenty of tunes in 4/4 time for dancing (mixed with occasional 3/4 time (waltzing anyone?)). Jazz is certainly not far away, especially given the extensive improvisation which forms the backbone of the Goose concept. As mentioned, a little Classical leaked into the second set and the encore tune, "Flodown," had a decisive country twang sounding a bit like their jammish brethren, The String Cheese Incident.

After the progressive rock excursion of "The Labyrinth," Goose broke into a bone fide funky dance jam with "Hot Tea" as the closer of the second set. See below for a version of that tune with a horn section (in fact, The Horn Section) which adds a significant boost to the Goose sound (a Goose boost!). Perhaps this is an idea for possible future band expansion? On the other hand, why mess with success?

Set List

Frist Set: The Killing Moon; SOS; Atlas Dogs; Turbulence and the Night Rays; Bob Don; Pancakes; So Ready
Second Set: Creatures; Shama Lama Ding Dong; Feel It Now; This Old Sea; The Labyrinth; Hot Tea
Encore: Flodown

The Band

Rick Mitarotonda, vocals, guitar; Peter Anspach, vocals, keyboards, guitar; Trevor Weekz, bass; Ben Atkind, drums; Jeff Arevalo, percussion, drums, vocals.

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