Despite the fact, They Might Be Giants (TMBG) have been releasing albums since 1986 and have been playing live shows earlier than that, they have never played in Winnipeg, Canada. I had the opportunity to see TMBG in September of 1992 in Vancouver and looking back I'm amazed that was over 26 years ago! A lot has changed since that time, the band has released 16 albums, a bunch of compilations and a ton of music for young and older alike. A lot of anticipation and expectations led up to this present show, as I rank that TMBG Vancouver show (Young Fresh Fellows opened) in my top 10, maybe even top 5 concert experiences (really wish I taped the show!). At the time they were touring their Apollo 18 record, which remains one of my favourite TMBG's albums alongside Lincoln, and I was in awe of the energy and showmanship they displayed throughout the show. It didn't hurt that the concert was held at the legendary Commodore Ballroom, with the springy wooden floor, I was literally bouncing up and down with a very enthusiastic Vancouver crowd. It was also notable it is one of the few concerts I've attended (besides Folk Fests) with my brother and sister because we were in town for a family wedding. The Young Fresh Fellows were also amazing and I even had a chance to talk to the Fellows after their set, so this truly was a very memorable evening.
For the current tour through Canada and the United States, the show was billed as, "An Evening With They Might Be Giants", that featured no opening band (or as John Flansburgh put it, "we're opening for ourselves") with two full sets with an intermission. With so many songs to choose from, their setlist reached out to all parts of the career including songs from their most recent album, I Like Fun. They played many of their "hits", Birdhouse In Your Soul, Racist Friend, The Guitar, Istanbul, Dr. Worm, and Twisting that features the great line, "She doesn't have to have her Young Fresh Fellows tape back now". Highlights for me include a pair of songs from their debut album, Number Three and Don't Let's Start, the great Cub cover, New York City and the set closer, End Of The Tour. They opened up the second set with a four song acoustic set, Quiet Storm. This stripped down trio (then later quartet) of the John Flansburgh on acoustic guitar, John Linnell on contra alto clarinet, Marty Beller on snare and Curt Ramm on trumpet, featured new arrangements of songs. The full band returned for the rest of the set and double encore. One thing that is obvious is the superb musicianship of all the members of the band. They had plenty of opportunity to highlight their talents through featured solo spots and expanded solos during the band introductions beginning the first encore. Yes, I really do love bass and drum solos! Overall, a very enjoyable show, with no disappointments (maybe more songs from Apollo 18?) and hope it doesn't take this long for a return visit.
Attending the concert almost didn't happen for me. I missed out when the the tickets originally went on sale and put it off long enough to have the concert sell out. The original venue was the West End Cultural Centre which I thought was a bit small for TMBG so I was resigned to price watch on Stubhub and check Kijiji daily for tickets. By chance, the venue was changed to the larger capacity Garrick and more tickets became available. Then, I've been working on a movie set for a film being shot in town for the past month. The reason for the lack of updates on the blog is because I've been working 12+ hour days, 5-6 days a week and I've been too physically (and mentally) exhausted to write. Anyways, I thought I might miss the show, because filming was scheduled until Sunday, but I was able to finish my work a day early. Phew!
I recorded the show on the floor about halfway back (directly behind is theatre seating). The Garrick is kind of cool because it was originally a movie theatre so the floor still has an angle to it so sight lines are good for height deprived people. The sound turned out good with little chatter and the sound balance and mix was fine. I noticed at the show John F's vocals were a little low in the mix, so the recording reflects that. The venue doesn't have the best acoustics, but the sound is even better in the live recording. Definitely a must-hear for any TMBG fans and a rare treat as we don't get a lot of high quality bands coming to town enough (apologies Mellencamp and McCartney fans).
Enjoy!!
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THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
The Garrick
Winnipeg, MB
October 21, 2018
AUD Master
"An Evening With They Might Be Giants"
Set 1
01. Damn Good Times
02. I Left My Body
03. Racist Friend
04. Particle Man
05. The Famous Polka
06. Dr. Worm
07. Let's Get This Over With
08. Music Jail
09. Birdhouse In Your Soul
10. The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
11. Mrs. Bluebeard
12. All Time What
13. When Will You Die?
14. Spy
Set 2
"Quiet Storm" acoustic set
15. Older
16. I Like Fun
17. Applause Applause Applause
18. How Can I Sing Like A Girl?
Full band
19. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
20. The Mesopotamians
21. Twisting
22. Number Three
23. Don't Let's Start
24. Why Does The Sun Shine?
25. Whistling In The Dark
26. Let Me Tell You About My Operation
27. The Communists Have The Music
Encore
28. "Band introductions"
29. Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal
Encore 2
30. New York City
31. The End Of The Tour
TMBG- 2018-10-21 The Garrick, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar
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