Photo Credit: Chad Anderson

Last night, after three years of anticipation, Goose revived its beloved “Netflox and Chill” tradition to celebrate Halloween in St. Petersburg, Fla. Staging at the Spa Beach Park of St. Pete Pier, the pioneering indie jam quintet made contact with the town of Hawkins, Indiana, opening up a bridge to some-other worldly ‘80s covers as they appeared onstage as the cast of Stranger Things. In keeping with its holiday habit, the band expanded its show with music featured in the series, dropping six thrilling debut covers in costume.

Goose unveiled the theme for its Halloween performance yesterday afternoon when it posted the commemorative poster for the event to its social panels; while they made no explicit mention of their selection, the art couldn’t be more packed with references, from Dungeons and Dragons dice to Eggo Waffles, a Walkman and the show’s unmistakable title card font. When they arrived for the show, the band’s costumes made it official. Frontman Rick Mitarotonda appeared as Joe Keery’s character Steve Harrington, bassist Trevor Weekz stepped out as antagonist Billy Hargrove, keyboardist and guitarist Peter Anspach donned a tucker hat to portray Dustin Henderson, multiinstrumentalist Jeff Arevalo appeared in uniform as Chief Jim Henderson and drummer Cotter Ellis wore a dress and wig as Eleven. 

The band’s commitment to bit went beyond appearances, which they made very clear as they stormed the stage with the brooding synth tones of the Stranger Things theme song to set off the show. From this towering outset, the band bridged into “Dr. Darkness,” then turned to a lighter note with Great Blue’s funking falsetto anthem “Yeti.” After “Silver Rising” and a “Wysteria Lane” that features another tease of the main theme, the band moved into its first song from the series with a bust out of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” last staged in 2016.

Goose segued this return into a high-voltage debut of one-hit-wonder Michael Sambello’s “Maniac.” After more atmospheric synth teases, the band swerved to the 2021 Shenanigans Nite Club standout “Madhuvan,” stretching the jam vehicle out to new limits before it dropped into The Surfaris’ iconic surf rock classic “Wipeout.” with more main theme teases and a swift, sneaky diversion into Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right,” the ensemble bounced back to “Madhuvan” for a fantastic finale to the first frame.

Goose took the stage again for the second set with another debut, this time dropping the needle on Dead or Alive’s campy 1985 earworm “You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record).” From this addictive electro-pop intro, the group shot into the Dripfield deep cut “Arrow,” which blazed new trails as it stretched out for over 30 minutes. In the middle of this freely-flowing improvisation, the band arrived at a moment fans had been waiting for all-night: The debut performance of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” which returned to the charts nearly four decades after its 1985 release due to a viral 2022 placement in the acclaimed sci-fi series.

After “Arrow,” Goose set its teeth into a specially stormy and spacey run of the thematically appropriate fan-favorite “Creature,” which inspired visions of the Demagorgon as Anspach–newly ‘stache-less–ducked into some deep and devilish synth lines. The band then closed out its second set with the undeniably mood-lifting high-note with a debut of Tears For Fears’ generational cornerstone “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” After a tremendous response and fake-out departure, the band returned for an encore with a bigger, badder treatment of S U R V I V E’s “Stranger Things Theme,” which pushed off into a show-closing “Empress of Organos.”

Fans who missed out on Goose’s history-making Halloween show can relive the magic with a full-show stream via nugs.net. The band will return to the stage tonight, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2 for a pair of performances at St. Augustine, Fla.’s St. Augustine Amphitheater. For tickets and more information on the ongoing fall tour, visit goosetheband.com/tour.

Watch fan-recorded videos below and read on for a complete setlist from Halloween.

Goose

Spa Beach Park at St. Pete Pier – St. Petersburg, Fla.

10/31/24

Set I: Stranger Things Theme > Dr. Darkness, Yeti, Silver Rising, Wysteria Lane → Psycho Killer, Maniac > Madhuvan > Wipeout > Madhuvan

Set II: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) > Arrow > Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) → Arrow, Creatures, Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Encore: Stranger Things Theme, The Empress Of Organos