Throughout the long and complex deployment of the last goose album, drip field, the CT-native quintet echoed a similar sentiment about their creative intentions: one foot in the jam world, one foot in the indie world, all eyes on a future that looks brighter by the day. day. That vision crystallized in fascinating fashion over the weekend as Goose celebrated the release of the new LP with six sets over two nights at the iconic New York City. Radio City Music Hall featuring guest appearances by living legends from both worlds, including an indie-folk hero Joshua Tillman (a.k.a Father John Misty) and patriarch of the jam band Trey Anastasio of Phishing.

Friday, as drip field made their way around the world, Goose, a band that played modest New York clubs like the 250-capacity Mercury Lounge just two and a half years ago hit another milestone with its first performance at Manhattan’s 6,000-seat entertainment landmark. Inspired by the Grateful Deadof Radio City in 1980, immortalized as straight aheadGoose prepared the audience with an acoustic set before plugging in for a two-set electric show.

The band nodded to this parallel with their very first live rendition of “Jack-A-Roe”, the traditional tune adopted by Jerry Garcia and the dead, though that turned out to be the night’s only cover. That night was about Goose, drip field, and the new heights to which this unit has climbed. The group then went through a second set with a mix of old favorites and new additions to the repertoire before opening the third set with the traveling saga of “Madhuvan”.

Rounding out Friday’s third frame, Goose brought in a number of guests to highlight the high-profile sonic elements on the new disc. drip field‘s producer, the famous D. James Goodwinstrapped to a guitar, Stuart Bogie brought his saxophone, and david nelson added trombone on a pair of old Goose favorites played in the reworked arrangements found on the album, “Hot Tea” and “Arrow”.

Radio City of Goose /drip field the celebration kicked into high gear on Saturday with a flurry of promotional looks, from the band’s national television debut to a pre-recorded performance on CBS Saturday morning (click below for videos) at a record signing event at NYC Raw Trade has a Akomplice pop-up merch hot dog stand at an NFT poster drop. Even through it all, a different narrative ran through the fanbase on Saturday afternoon: Trey Anastasio’s gear had been spotted on 6th Avenue being loaded into the venue.

Another acoustic prelude kicked off Saturday’s show as fans returned to the theater for the grand finale. Arcade Fire“Wake up” and Bruce Springsteen“Atlantic City” from mingled with the essential bluegrass “Flodown”, drip field“Moonrise”, an even more recent selection from the band’s songbook (“Atlas Dogs”), and a unique version of the rare fan-favorite “Elmeg The Wise”, as the band caught the attention of the crowd with a whisper before the roar to come.

A series of rumbling jams unfolded to begin the second set, each showcasing the unique sonic qualities the band strives to embody. The sound of Goose is the sound of expanding and contracting, generating steam, an avalanche closing in around you, and a distant voice calling you back to the surface. On “Rockdale,” “Seekers On The Ridge Pt. 1 & pt. 2,” and “Red Bird,” Goose deftly navigated that space, building towers of his swelling to fill the cavernous room and washing jagged snags into their bricks and mortar like rising flood waters.

Related: I Know Life Is Better: Behind The Scenes With Goose [Interview]

The second set brought the first of the evening’s big surprises as “Red Bird” sank into father John Misty’s “I’m Writing A Novel” and Pierre Anspach announced that the man himself, Joshua Tillman, was coming to sing it with them – one foot in the indie world, one foot in the jam world. “Creatures,” which closes the set, solidified that middle ground, its vocoder-laden melody, hazy vibe, and contemplative songcraft evoking underground radio even as it moved toward exploring music. ‘improvisation.

As the set closed, Anspach informed the crowd that the band would be running late tonight and promised plenty more excitement on the way. He doubled down on that telling promise when the band returned to the stage after 11:00 p.m. “Hey,” he said. “Let’s jam.

“Feel the Rush” Rick Mitarotonda urged the crowd as Goose kicked off his sixth and final set of the weekend with the sounding “Silver Rising,” yet another new track introduced after drip field was in the box. The crowd exploded when a beaming Anspach finally introduced the guest everyone knew was coming, Trey Anastasio, who would remain on stage for the rest of the show.

Although the worlds of Goose and Phish haven’t crossed paths until Saturday night, that hasn’t stopped the two fanbases — a Venn diagram with a wide midsection — from discussing the two acts together at length. Listeners often cite similar sounds and approaches adopted by Goose as inspired by Phish, and they’re not out of line. The members of Goose have never been embarrassed by the formative effect Phish has had on them as artists and musicians. You might even point out that the list of jam bands with the ability to pull off a two-night run at Radio City today is short, and the fact that Goose is on it begs the comparison in and of itself.

But the point around which Phish/Goose conversations often revolve is the “torch”, the idea that Goose (or anyone) is “next”, the heir to a throne held by Trey and his dad buddies. university with minimal conflict for decades. I talked about the futility of this premise in the very first episode of (not a) Goose podcast. The great beyond, and my sentiment remains the same after Saturday’s all-time high. If there is a “torch”, so to speak, it is only a vessel for the flame it carries. This flame has unquestionably spread in new directions over the years, but the existing burns don’t go out when a fire spreads, they just make the space brighter.

Goose came to perform with his own growing fire, a well-deserved hot streak that earned every ounce of his spotlight on one of the biggest stages in the Big Apple. Trey strolled from his house around the block with his Languedoc in one hand and a bit of his longtime flame in the other and helped take the proceedings from fire to hell.

Beginning with an anthem “Hungersite” > “Arcadia” segment featuring Anastasio on guitar and vocals, the elder guitarist slipped seamlessly into the kingdom of Goose and gave his younger counterparts a session. training at their own game, channeling the enveloping material and heating it to a boiling point.

“He’s going to stay,” Rick told the approving crowd after a brief conference with Trey. “Can we keep it, Dad?” interjected an innocent Anspach.

Goose ft. Trey Anastasio – “Hungersite” > “Arcadia” [Pro-Shot] – 06/25/22

Anastasio stayed on to add a third guitar to “Dripfield,” a song quickly becoming a surefire highlight and the moment it appears, as he, Rick, and Peter huddled center stage. The jam dignitary’s presence on this rendition helped make it perhaps the best version yet, a trip to the edge of your seat that took the band through some “Loose Ends” (The group) interlude before winding to its end.

Another conference with Trey, another confirmation from Rick: “Okay,” he reported. “He will always stay.” With that, Goose took flight in a sprawling “Empress of Organos”, with each band member having their time to shine with a solo along the thrilling run.

Rick’s words seemed to go beyond the setting itself and into the future: “He’s gonna stay.” If Trey ever held a torch, it’s still firmly in his hands. But don’t get distracted by this conventional, linear narrative. Instead, take a look at the space as this growing flame continues to illuminate. Emerging from a jam scene long dominated by Trey and inspired by the indie world of father John Misty, Goose found his own space in the sandbox, a space big enough for them all to jam together. Good things tend to gravitate towards other good things, and these cross-pollinations multiply faithfully. The proof was in the air at Radio City, and in the music, and in the mystified smiles on the players’ faces. No torch was passed on Saturday evening, but the collective flame probably shone a little brighter.

The recall, a dance-rock explosion in the form of The Beatles“Tomorrow Never Knows” brought back Trey Anastasio and Father John Misty, two Radio City headliners in their own right, for a finale worthy of this collision of worlds. One foot in the world of jam, one foot in the independent world, all eyes on a future that looks brighter every day.

Next Saturday, Goose will take the stage at The Peach Music Festival for a late night set on the main stage after… *checks notes*… you would watch this, Trey Anastasio’s group. Hoping Montage Mountain has plenty of fire extinguishers ready just in case.

Related: Growing With The Peach Music Festival: 6 Acts Return With New Momentum In 2022 [Videos]

For a list of Goose’s upcoming tour dates, head here. Scroll down to check out setlists and photo galleries from both nights at Radio City Music Hall via Bahram Foroughi.

Setlist: Goose | Radio City Music Hall | New York, NY | 06/24/22

First set (acoustic): California Magic, Elizabeth, Jack-a-Roe (Traditional/Grateful Dead) [1]Transformed clouds, This old sea, All I need

Set 2: Tumble, Borne, The Whales, A Western Sun, Pancakes

Series three: Madhuvan, hot tea [2]Arrow [2]

Again: Animal

[1] FTP by Goose
[2] Studio arrangement with Stuart Bogie on saxophone, D. James Goodwin on guitar, Dave Nelson on trombone

Setlist: Goose | Radio City Music Hall | New York, NY | 06/24/22

First set (acoustic): Atlas Dogs, Moonrise, Wake Up (Arcade Fire), Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen), Flodown, Elmeg The Wise

Series 2: Rockdale, Seekers On The Ridge Pt. 1 & Pt 2, Red Bird > I’m writing a novel (Father John Misty) [1]creatures [2]

Set 3: Silver Rising, Hungersite [3]Arcadia [3]drip field [4] [5]The Empress of Organos [4]

Again: Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles) [3] [6]

[1] with Father John Misty on vocals
[2] Peter climbed the left stairs while playing the intro
[3] with Trey Anastasio of Phish on guitar and vocals
[4] with Trey Anastasio of Phish on guitar
[5] with jam “Loose Ends” (The Band)
[6] with Father John Misty on drums and vocals, Jeff Arevalo on guitar