Goosemas X Takes to the Stars from Virginia

Photo by @abbyfoxphoto

Last night, Goose celebrated their 10th annual holiday celebration, Goosemas, in cosmic style. The quintet stepped on the stage in space-themed jumpsuits and wasted no time in lifting the mothership–the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va.–toward the stratosphere with a collection of jams, debuts and bust-outs in celebration of an incredible 2023.

The first frame of Goosemas X was stylized as a Mirror planet named “Echochrome” and opened with “Eartling or Alien?” perfectly aligned with the theme. After boarding the musical vehicle and strapping in, they started with a slow melodic version of “All I Need,” but after the first chorus, the band added some fuel to the boosters, bringing the tempo up to the studio or “fast” version. Next came the first debut of the evening, a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” which gave way to a vibey “Tumble,” which saw the most fleshed-out improvisational segment of the show thus far. The frame was rounded out by yet another debut, this time in the form of Michael Jackson’s iconic 1988 hit “Man in the Mirror,” which landed the ship.

As the dust settled and a bit of reflection, it was clear an absurd amount of dancing had taken place, and retroactively, heat rose from the crowd; however, despite their best efforts, the temperature paled in comparison to the upcoming frame, a Fire planet named “Inferno Prime.” The ship took off with an unmistakable song: Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” marking the first time Goose has played the song. The ensemble held nothing back for their rendition, which was followed by “Creatures” > “(dawn).” The theme was pushed further pyrotechnics set pieces and another epic cover and debut, Kings of Leon’s “Sex On Fire.” The shape of the planet was taking form, and the quintet were prepared to define more of its peaks and valleys with their own discography, performing “Butter Rum” and then an unfinished “Arrow” that gave way to a bust out of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” which was last played May 20, 2017, and brought the set to a close.

For the final lift-off of the evening, Goose dished out a trio of favorites: “So Ready” into a jam of “Slow Ready” before finally bringing things home with “Hot Tea.” Goose’s holiday celebration will continue tonight.

Goose

Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, Va.

Dec. 8, 2023

Set I: Earthling or Alien?, All I Need^[1], Mirrors^[2], Tumble^[3], Man in the Mirror^[4]

Set II: Fire^[5], Creatures > (dawn), Sex On Fire^[6], Butter Rum, Arrow^[7] > Burning Down the House^[8]

Enc.: So Ready > Slow Ready^[9] > Hot Tea

Coach’s Notes:

    [1] Began as slow, melodic version and switched to “fast” version after the first chorus.

    [2] Justin Timberlake. FTP.

    [3] Vibey Tumble. Played with regular Tumble composed section and jam.

    [4] Michael Jackson. FTP.

    [5] Jimi Hendrix. FTP.

    [6] Kings of Leon. FTP.

    [7] Unfinished.

    [8] Talking Heads.

    [9] Jam only.

Show Notes: This show was part of Goosemas X. Set One was a Mirror planet named “Echochrome.” Set Two was a Fire planet named “Inferno Prime.” Before and after each set, the ship landed and took off. Burning Down the House was played for the first time since May 20, 2017.