Photo by Juliana Bernstein 

Goose brought their signature event, their 12th annual Goosemas, to a close at Providence, RI’s Amica Mutual Pavilion last night. The theatrical presentation continued the story of Barnaby Glimpse’s Show Upon Time, an original conceptual piece which the band has described as “a surreal, dark carnival narrative set in Lovering’s Hollow in 1734.” The four-person Connecticut outfit used the occasion to both debut a handful of new covers as well as weave a mix of originals into the story-cycle offering, which was brought to life through vivid costumes, puppetry and theatrical production. Sadly, a shooting that left two dead and others injured took place nearby at Brown University in Providence around the time of the show; though unrelated to the concert, the tragic incident cast a shadow over the evening.

For the second night in a row, Goose welcomed a few guests to the stage. The evening kicked off where the story left off a night earlier, with Goose singer/guitarist Rick Mitarotonda entering the stage and turning on the light as The Providence College Choir sang to a drone offstage. The choir then emerged to help the members of Goose, who were all once again in carnival costumes, through their debut of the traditional “Wild Mountain Thyme,” and they remained on stage to enhance the 2025 Goose single “Give It Time.” After “Flodown,” the fast version of “Echo of a Rose” and an unfinished version of “Into the Myst,” Goose offered their first take on a thematically fitting “Strange Overtones,” a standout track from the 2008 David Byrne/Brian Eno album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The set then came to a close with a segue from Trevor Weekz’s early Goose tune “Wysteria Lane” into “(dawn).”

Goose jumped right back into the surprises at the start of their second set, pulling out their first spin on The Band classic “Life Is A Carnival,” which could have served as the show’s theme song. Saxophonist Stuart Bogie–a regular Goose collaborator in and out of the studio–joined them on the cover, as he did for much of Friday’s show; he also brought along trombonist David Nelson, who is known for his work with Byrne and St. Vincent and trumpeter Jordan McLean, who has been part of horn section with Bogie in Antibalas and myriad other projects, for the number. The brass players remained as Goose moved into “Thatch,” as well as a deep, unfinished “Big Modern” and an extended “Hot Tea” that evolved into an extended free-form jam featuring Weekz, as DJ Marb Menthols, on turntables. Simultaneously, costume-clad actors danced on the stage, painting all the set props with UV paint. “Factory Fiction” closed out the second set proper.

For their extended encore, Goose returned with their horn section, as well as the actors who had helped flesh out the narrative throughout the weekend, for Caravan Palace’s “Dramophone” and “The Empress Of Organos,” before inviting back the Providence College Choir for a reprise of the tune. The night’s theatrics climaxed during “Dramophone,” which boasted New Year’s Eve-style balloon drop with confetti took place and a pair of aerialists hovered over the stage. Goose’s veil set design then opened up and the band, actors, puppets and their guests slipped away to close the show.

Goose will return to the road for a March 28 show at Athens, GA’s Jam in the Streets festival.

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Elgoose.net

Saturday, December 13, Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI, USA

Set 1: Wild Mountain Thyme[1], Give It Time[2], Flodown, Echo of a Rose[3], Into the Myst[4], Strange Overtones[5], Wysteria Lane > (dawn)

Set 2: Life Is A Carnival[6], Thatch[7], Big Modern![8], Hot Tea[9] > Jam[10], Factory Fiction

Encore: Dramophone[11] > The Empress Of Organos[7], The Empress Of Organos Reprise[12]

Coach’s Notes:

    [1] Traditional. FTP. With Providence College Choir on vocals.

    [2] With Providence College Choir on vocals.

    [3] Fast version.

    [4] Unfinished.

    [5] Brian Eno & David Byrne. FTP.

    [6] The Band. FTP. With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Jordan McLean on trumpet.

    [7] With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Jordan McLean on trumpet.

    [8] Unfinished. With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Jordan McLean on trumpet.

    [9] Unfinished. With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Jordan McLean on trumpet and Workin’ Day and Night teases.

    [10] With DJ Marb Menthols on turntables.

    [11] Caravan Palace. With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Jordan McLean on trumpet and Cantina Band tease.

    [12] With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, Jordan McLean on trumpet, and the Providence College Choir on vocals.

Show Notes: The show began where the previous show left off – Rick walked up on stage and turned on the light as a choir began to sing a drone off stage. The choir then joined after the first chorus. During Marb House, a UV Dance Party commenced with characters dancing on stage and painting all the set props with UV paint. During the encore all of the characters and puppets appeared as well as two aerialists. There was also a balloon drop and confetti during Dramophone. The show ended with the veil opening back up, after the veil sequence, the characters, puppets, choir, and band had vanished. This show was part of Goosemas XII.