An Unforgettable Evening with They Might Be Giants at the Neptune Theatre: Show Review

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Author: Kate Watanabe

After years of delays and enduring the pandemic, They Might Be Giants (TMBG) made it to Seattle and performed two shows at the Neptune Theatre on April 20 and 21, which was originally intended as a 30th anniversary tour for the beloved album Flood, released in 1990. The pandemic could have drained the band’s energy, but they came back with a vengeance. Between rapid fire genre shifts and quirky on-stage banter, TMBG were impossible to look away from and endlessly entertaining. 

The show had no opening acts and the band played two sets, totaling over two and a half hours. Before they came on stage, I was nervous that the show would get monotonous or tiring towards the end. Especially since Flood is 33 years old and John Linnell, keyboardist, and John Flansburgh, guitarist, have aged alongside it. However, it never got bland between the tourniquet tight horn section, eclectic variety of sounds and influences, and playing an entire song in reverse. The show felt like an arena level production bottled into a theater, the stage expanded into something larger than life and encapsulated the audience members who had anxiously held onto their tickets for years.

They played 17 out of 19 songs from Flood with a more refined, jazzy, and bombastic sound than the studio recordings, breathing a new life into well-loved songs. The first song off Flood they played was “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” which was clearly a fan favorite as I heard members of the crowd around me singing along and clinging to every lyric. The same can be said about “Your Racist Friend,” a catchy song about wanting to leave a party because of a racist guest who ‘you’ refuse to call out. John Linnell brought out the accordion for this song which emphasized the fun sound in contrast to the annoyed tone of the lyrics. 

Photograph of the stage during “Whistling in the Dark” by Valerie Barr

TMBG are known for their humor and injected their signature wit into their performances and on-stage banter. Amid the Flood filled setlist, “Sapphire Bullets of Love” was given a semi-botched facelift and played backwards. Flansburgh jokedit was now titled “Stillub.” Although this version sounded far from the album recording, its novelty made the Simlish speak and uncanny melodies interesting. For “Whistling in the Dark,” the stage lights shut off to immerse the audience in the dark abyss the title promises, although, disappointingly, I didn’t hear anyone whistling. The Johns were endearing and hilarious between songs, assigning songs by The Rolling Stones to their own songs, joking about the show being on April 20, and commending the audience for holding onto their tickets for three years. 

Photograph by Valerie Barr

The crowd’s roaring cheer for the supporting band members was infectious: the drummer, guitarist, and horn section, Dan Levine, Steve Harrison, and Mark Pender, each got their individual time in the spotlight and multiple shout outs by the Johns. On “Ana Ng,” the horns exploded and sounded like they were punctuating the end of every lyric. “The Darlings of Lumberland” subverted the usual TMBG sound with the horns sculpting the jazz-influenced tone and John Flansburgh singing most of the song. 

On TMBG’s most popular song, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” the horn section each had solo parts to show off their skills and impress the crowd. Although they were all talented and great performers, this section seemed to drag on longer than it should have and the three minute song lasted around twelve minutes. The trumpet section included a lot of audience participation which got repetitive after a while, especially since it didn’t connect to the song. 

Despite the lengthy setlist, They Might Be Giants remained energetic by changing sounds like a chameleon and using their signature musical humor to keep even the most social media damaged attention spans engaged. I consider myself a casual fan and attended the concert with my girlfriend, who had only heard of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” before, but we both left the Neptune Theatre gushing over the performance and with a newfound appreciation for TMBG. Even if you’re not familiar with their music, I’d recommend anyone attend the next TMBG show because without a doubt, you will be entertained and leave with something completely unique and memorable. 

Special thanks to the Neptune Theatre, Valerie Barr for the photos, and Luna for attending with me. 

 

 

KATE WATANABE | Doctor Worm | KXSU Music Reporter

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