They Might Be Giants at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Kate Hoos)
In 1990, They Might Be Giants released their third album, Flood, on Elektra Records (their first release with a major label). Flood went platinum, and I spent my sophomore year in high school singing impromptu a capella versions of “Birdhouse in Your Soul” or “Twisting” or “Particle Man” in three-part harmony with a selection of other choir nerds. (Shout out to my friend Caden who put a whole bunch of excellent songs from Flood on one of her magical mixtapes, back when making a mixtape for someone was the ultimate gesture of love.)
TMBG made (and continues to make) smart, funny, and eclectic rock and pop that is completely unique. Founded by John Flansburgh and John Linnell (yep, two Johns, love it) back in 1982, They Might Be Giants have released twenty-three studio albums to date (five of them for kids), and have developed a devoted fan base that attend their much-lauded lives shows almost religiously and it’s not an uncommon thing for a TMBG fan to have seen the band live upwards of fifty times. And while I wouldn’t describe myself as a rabid TMBG fan, I’m not a casual admirer either, but I had never seen them live until this past Friday at the Bowery Ballroom, and I could not have been more satisfied and delighted.
Friday night began a three-night stand for TMBG at Bowery Ballroom that was celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Flood. The shows had been originally scheduled for 2020, but due to the pandemic (and other complications—John Flansburgh suffered injuries in a car accident in 2022, but thankfully recovered), the celebration tour was postponed by almost three years. The fans began to line up outside the club early, and by the time They Might Be Giants took the stage for their first of two sets (no opener), the venue was packed with the sold-out adoring crowd, many of them wearing colorful headdress headbands spelling out “THEY” in bobbing letters over the fans’ heads.
The Johns took the stage with their longtime band collaborators (Danny Weinkauf on bass, Dan Miller on guitar, and Marty Betler on drums), and were greeted with rapturous applause from the get-go. They launched into “Letterbox” (from Flood), followed by “Synopsis for Latecomers” and “Bronosaurus,” tracks from their most recent album Book (2021). And then, boom, the aforementioned “Birdhouse in Your Soul” came at us, and I sang along, and danced, and maybe got a little weepy. Forgive me…it was my first TMBG live experience, and long overdue!
The rest of the euphoric two-set evening featured every song from Flood, as well as other choice selections from Book (including “Moonbeam Rays”), and a variety of other early TMBG favorites, including 1998’s “Doctor Worm” (released on the live album, Severe Tire Damage, as a single, and on compilations), which closed out the first set. In the midst of the fun, between songs the Johns delivered snappy banter, including a bit about how they kidnapped the real They Might Be Giants, and were actually incredibly accurate TMBG impersonators. If so, I was happily fooled. The hijinks continued with “Stiloob,” a backwards version of Flood’s “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love,” which TMBG recorded a video of during the first set (with a lot of audience shots), and then played back the video to kick off the second set.
Among the many highlights of the night was the outstanding arrangement of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” which closed out the second set and featured extended and delightful solos from the horn section. Both Dan Levine on trombone and Stan Harrison on saxophone gave introductory solos to the song, and a giddy call-and-response trumpet solo from Mark Pender concluded the song (the audience sang back everything he played—he essentially traded fours with around four hundred happy voices).
I have no adequate excuse for why it’s taken me over thirty years to get to see They Might Be Giants live, but I am so overjoyed that I’m now among the privileged and wise. Let’s hope TMBG continue to record and tour for many years to come! I’m now among the devoted.
Scroll down for setlist, fan shot videos, pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
TMBG Setlist, Set One: Letterbox, Synopsis for Latecomers, Brontosaurus, Birdhouse in Your Soul, Twisting, Someone Keeps Moving My Chair, Women & Men, Let Me Tell You About My Operation, Whistling in the Dark, Hot Cha, Stilloob, Minimum Wage, Moonbeam Rays, Road Movie to Berlin, Doctor Worm
Set Two: Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love, Dead, Man It’s So Loud in Here, Your Racist Friend, We Want a Rock, Number Three, Don’t Let’s Start, The Darlings of Lumberland, Lucky Ball and Chain, Particle Man, Museum of Idiots, Wicked Little Critta, Damn Good Times, Theme From Flood, Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (The Four Lads cover) Encore One: 2082, When Will You Die Encore Day: New York City (Cub cover)
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
