Spring Tour 2023: Goose Live @ Georgia Theatre
For the third time in four years, I have been fortunate enough to cover Goose for Concerthopper.com. This time around Goose came through my area on their Spring Tour 2023 and performed an intimate set at the historic Georgia Theatre located in the middle of downtown Athens, Georgia. Tickets for this event were just as hard to get as Master's tickets are at Augusta National. IYKYK (Thanks a lot, AXS.). For those who are not familiar with Goose, they are an American indie groove/funk/psychedelic rock/jam band that hails from Wilton, Connecticut, and started as a trio in 2014. The band originally consisted of Rick Mitarotonda (guitar/vocals), Trevor Weeks (bass), and Ben Atkind (drums). Peter Anspach (keyboards/guitar/vocals) was added in 2017 and then later Goose added Jeff Arevalo (percussion/vocals) in 2020. Goose has released three (3) LPs, two (2) EPs, and nine (9) live albums that are all amazing! If you were lucky enough to get their latest live album (2022.12.31 Cincinnati, Ohio) on preorder from Diggers Factory, 'Congratulations!' I know we are all eagerly awaiting this pressing to ship out later in the year!
Before doors opened the line, filled with eager and excited Goose fans, to enter the Georgia Theatre was wrapped around the building way down the side street. Whether doing photography or just attending a Goose show as a fan, you will always find me here smiling with my people! Honk Honk!
Let’s get back to this once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness Goose perform live at the Georgia Theatre. The eager and excited crowd gathered was a mixture of University of Georgia college students, fans of Goose, and those hard-core fans that travel with the band as much as possible during their tour dates. It is always nice to notice those familiar faces in the crowd that attend every Goose show that you also attend. If you follow Goose while on tour, I am sure that you can spot some recognizable faces riding the rail during other tour dates across the United States thanks to other concert photographers.
Once Goose came on stage, the gracious crowd erupted with a loud and all-so-familiar “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!”. This tradition has become one of my favorite things to do as a show of affection and love toward the entire band. Not knowing what was coming song-wise, the audience puts their trust in Goose to take them on a journey through their musical soundscape. Some of the things that I love about Goose aren’t always music, for instance; Trevor’s bass face while performing is something serious as he lays down some crunchy and funky bass lines. Or Pete’s ever-present smile as he either talks to the crowd showing love and support or while he is just jamming on the keys/guitar, you can tell that Pete is all about making the crowd smile along with him. Another thing that I love to see, is Rick’s face as he gets deeper and deeper in the sauce while he’s playing guitar. The more I see Goose play, the more I believe Rick is defining his craft even more with each note he performs. A master of his craft! Well, let’s not forget the percussion pieces of Goose because the excitement from both Ben and Jeff also shines bright as they lay down some funky beats. Goose makes sure that each song performed is an experience to remember as the crowd dances away their worries during the performance.
Check out the setlist from this sold-out show at the Georgia Theatre below:
Set 1: “Tumble, Time to Flee” [1] -> “Green River” [2], “Flodown”, “Thatch”, “Silver Rising”, “The Empress of Organos” -> Trevor Reads Poetry [3] -> “The Empress of Organos”
Set 2: “Arcadia”, “Slow Ready” > “Rock The Casbah” [4], “Hot Tea” -> “Turned Clouds” > “Hot Tea” [5]
Encore: “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” [6]
Teases:
"After Midnight" tease in Hot Tea
Coach's Notes:
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Creedence Clearwater Revival.
[3] “Fuck The Pain Away” by Peaches.
[4] The Clash.
[5] With “After Midnight” tease from Peter.
[6] Rupert Holmes.
Currently, at the time of this publication, the Spring Tour 2023 has sold out except for a couple of dates in April and June, but Goose still has many festival dates and a Fall Tour 2023 on sale:
APR 13, 2023
THE SYLVEE
MADISON, WI
SOLD OUT
APR 14, 2023
THE SALT SHED
CHICAGO, IL
SOLD OUT
APR 15, 2023
THE SALT SHED
CHICAGO, IL
SOLD OUT
APR 16, 2023
PALACE THEATRE
SAINT PAUL, MN
SOLD OUT
APR 18, 2023
THE ELM
BOZEMAN, MT
SOLD OUT
APR 19, 2023
THE ELM
BOZEMAN, MT
SOLD OUT
APR 21, 2023
KNITTING FACTORY
BOISE, ID
SOLD OUT
APR 22, 2023
PARAMOUNT THEATRE
SEATTLE, WA
SOLD OUT
APR 23, 2023
PARAMOUNT THEATRE
SEATTLE, WA
SOLD OUT
APR 25, 2023
MCDONALD THEATRE
EUGENE, OR
SOLD OUT
APR 27, 2023
THE WARFIELD
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SOLD OUT
APR 28, 2023
THE WARFIELD
SAN FRANSOLD OUT
APR 29, 2023
CAL COAST CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATER
SAN DIEGO, CA
MAY 2, 2023
FAUBOURG BREWERY
NEW ORLEANS, LA
DAZE BETWEEN FESTIVAL
MAY 3, 2023
FAUBOURG BREWERY
NEW ORLEANS, LA
DAZE BETWEEN FESTIVAL
MAY 26, 2023 - MAY 28, 2023
SUMMER CAMP MUSIC FESTIVAL
CHILLICOTHE, IL
JUN 2, 2023 - JUN 4, 2023
RIVERBEND MUSIC FESTIVAL
CHATTANOOGA, TN
JUN 2, 2023
CATHEAD JAM
JACKSON, MS
JUN 4, 2023
RAILBIRD MUSIC FESTIVAL
LEXINGTON, KY
JUN 22, 2023
LOUISVILLE PALACE THEATRE
LOUISVILLE, KY
SOLD OUT
JUN 23, 2023
LOUISVILLE PALACE THEATRE
LOUISVILLE, KY
SOLD OUT
JUN 25, 2023
ELECTRIC FOREST FESTIVAL
ROTHBURY, MI
JUN 27, 2023
KEMBA LIVE! OUTDOORS
COLUMBUS, OH
JUN 29, 2023 - JUL 2, 2023
PEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL
SCRANTON, PA
JUN 29, 2023 - JUL 1, 2023
RESONANCE FESTIVAL
GARRETTSVILLE, OH
JUL 3, 2023
STONE PONY SUMMER STAGE
ASBURY PARK, NJ
SOLD OUT
JUL 4, 2023
STONE PONY SUMMER STAGE
ASBURY PARK, NJ
SOLD OUT
JUL 7, 2023
SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY
JUL 8, 2023
LEVITATE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
MARSHFIELD, MA
JUL 26, 2023 - JUL 30, 2023
FLOYDFEST
FLOYD, VA
SEP 15, 2023
BORDERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
BUFFALO, NY
SEP 16, 2023
MASONIC TEMPLE
DETROIT, MI
SEP 17, 2023
MILLER HIGH LIFE THEATRE
MILWAUKEE, WI
SEP 20, 2023
RED BUTTE GARDEN AMPHITHEATRE
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
SOLD OUT
SEP 22, 2023
KETTLEHOUSE AMPHITHEATER
MISSOULA, MT
SEP 23, 2023
SPOKANE PAVILION
SPOKANE, WA
SEP 25, 2023
FOX THEATER
OAKLAND, CA
SEP 26, 2023
FOX THEATER
OAKLAND, CA
SEP 29, 2023
SANTA BARBARA BOWL
SANTA BARBARA, CA
OCT 1, 2023
BROOKLYN BOWL LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, NV
OCT 3, 2023
PEPSI AMPHITHEATER
FLAGSTAFF, AZ
OCT 5, 2023
RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
MORRISON, CO
TRAVEL PACKAGES
SOLD OUT
OCT 6, 2023
RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
MORRISON, CO
Head over to Goose's Official Bandcamp page to listen to numerous soundboard recordings from their previous tours, including this tour stop at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia. If you want to read more about Goose, follow these links to some of my previous coverage of the band for Concerthopper today: Goose: Sold Out at The Eastern (Night 1) (2021) and Goose: Two Nights at Pullman Hall (2022)! Looking for some cool Goose merch? Head over to Goose's official merchandise page and show some support for this outstanding group of musicians.
Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music-related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our very own ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please 'Like' our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2023, on all music-related events/festivals such as: The Parallax II Tour: Between The Buried and Me Live @ The Masquerade, Long Time Going Tour: Sierra Ferrell at Georgia Theatre, 20th Anniversary Tour: August Burns Red (Rapids Theatre), Spring Tour (2023): BongZilla with Wizard Rifle @ Grantski Records, Beartooth & Trivium: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, AmericanaFest (2023), Ghost RE-Imperatour U.S.A. with Amon Amarth: Ascend Amphitheater, The 5th Annual PorchFest, 12th Annual Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival, Souls of Mischief: 93’ til Infinity 30th Anniversary Tour @ City Winery (Atlanta), Yob and Pallbearer: Live at the Masquerade, So Much For (Tour) Dust: Fall Out Boy/Bring Me the Horizon @ Darien Lake Amphitheater, and Morbid Angel: The 40th Anniversary Tour (The Masquerade) by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, you can follow my concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram for even more photos not available on Concerthopper.com.