If you feel like every time Goose makes a stop in Philadelphia, they always play a different venue – well, you would be correct. The Norwalk, Connecticut band’s exponentially growing and loyal fan base pushes the band in bigger and better venues to be able to keep the music and the party going, this weekend’s two-night stand at The Met was no exception. On the rail front and center, a large group folks on tour dubbed Friday night’s theme “Alien Night,” offering up green face paint and funky headbands to everyone around to prepare for the “out of this world” experience. The house lights went out just after 9:00pm as the band took the stage greeted by fans unison shouting the signature “GOOOOOOOOOSE” call kicking off.
Goose | photo by Dylan Eddinger
Notes from Rick Mitarotonda’s guitar set the tone for a twenty minute “Rockdale” that had the entire building moving to the infectious groove. Bassist Trevor Weekz and Keyboardist Peter Anspanch trade off solos before letting the rhythm drummers battle it out in “Atlas Dogs.” During that jam, the the audience was taken back to the 80’s with a surprising cover of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield.” Following that performance, the band brought the temp down just a little bit to play their beautiful love song “Everything Must Go” which debuted live last fall. Fans responded with respect and appreciation for the slight change of pace, with many couples echoing the chorus back from Mitarotonda’s vocals “This is love, Sweet signal from above, Warms my brain, Now I’ll never be alone again”.
After a 40-minute set break, eager fans know that they’re in for a long night. Goose broke the silence with a funky “Animal” opener. The real highlight of the second set was a monstrous 29-minute “Echo Of a Rose” that could go down in Goose history. The band had the entire Met jumping and dancing on their feet while jamming with Mitaronda’s lead guitar licks to an almost never ending peak, all complimented perfectly by lighting director Andrew Goedde’s mesmerizing light show. You can already re-live that wild moment in an official video on Goose’s YouTube.