Goose Bring the Merriment to Colorado with the Return of Goosemas

As the doors opened at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., attendees of Goose’s annual holiday-heavy occasion, Goosemas, were greeted by a display of festive lights and signage reading “All I Want for Goosemas.” Upon further inspection, fans of the Connecticut quintet were offered the opportunity to pen their choice song or gift request on a ball, which in turn was dropped in a bin, and proudly placed in front of the display until later in the evening, when the band pulled from a bag and randomly selected numbers which were plugged into the night’s setlist.

With the crowd's energy at a high, the first night of Goosemas began with a fiery jam that unfolded into the dance floor ready “Flodown.” After the night’s “Flopener,” the band moved into recent material on “Everything Must Go,” followed by the island-infused “Butter Rum.” The latter included a kaleidoscope of sound that manifested in the form of swirling jams and top-notch improvised moments.

Friday night’s initial frame slowed a bit as the ensemble worked through “Old Man’s Boat,” only to revamp and soar with “Drive.” Then, keeping with the holiday spirit, Goose dusted off The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight,” which was last covered on Dec. 21, 2019. During Goose’s rendition of the 1975 number, Rick Mitarotonda took over the Rick Danko-led lines beautifully before the set came to a close on “SOS.”

As Goose returned to the stage for their second frame, Peter Anspach approached the mic and announced it was time to pull the fan-written request which were a part of the pre-show display. At which point, the group’s manager, Jon “Coach” Lombardi, dressed as jolly old St. Nick, brought forth the balls, held in a sizable red sack adorned with the message “Merry Goosemas!” The display ushered in an all-request frame, which kicked off with “Pancakes.” To follow the set's first song, Goose pulled in an early number from their catalog on “Rosewood Heart,” a tune that initially appeared on the 2016 debut Moon Cabin.

Next, the first gift request arrived and brought Trevor Weekz softer side to the stage as he read a selection of Christmas-themed poems to the audience before a return to music on “Wisteria Lane.” As the band ended the song’s instrumental extension, Anspach pulled another ball, which read “Audience Group Hug,” an act that some members of the band and crowd dutifully engaged in. The set came to a close to the rhythm of rarity “Moby,” which rolled into “Rockdale” and featured a tease of Ozzy Osborne’s “Crazy Train.” For their encore, the group landed on “White Lights,” which saw a luminous display that beckoned imagery of a menorah, that illuminated Ben Atkind’s drum kit.

Night two was a continuation of good times and requested musical moments as the evening opened with a holiday-inspired delivery of the Mykola Leontovych composed “Carol of the Bells,” which was last performed by Goose on Dec. 21, 2019. To follow, the band picked up a song from its Vasudo side project, “Turbulence & The Night Rays,” which was followed by “Atlas Dogs” and “Time to Flee.” 2020’s “A Western Sun” rose next, only to cap the Dec. 17 frame with “Tumble.”

For the evening’s latter half, Santa returned to the stage much like on night one, and Goose pulled from the sack of fan requests and only to begin their set with “Thatch.” Next, the group performed a jammed-out take on “Slow Ready,” which was deprived of lyrics during the Saturday night performance. “Factory Fiction” arrived on the list and came before a lively rendition of “Animal,” which featured authentic critter sounds– a fun added element to the Bingo Tour number. Finally, to cap the show's second half, Goose pulled out an extraordinarily heated rendition of “Dripfield,” which clocked in just under 15 minutes and was filled with magical moments of instrumentation. Watch Goose’s performance of “Dripfield” below.

For the final moments of Goose’s holiday celebration, the band pulled out their original “Hot Tea,” which ran over into the quintessential piano-heavy holiday cover of A Charlie Brown Christmas’ “Linus and Lucy,” which was capped by a return to “Hot Tea” to conclude their time in Broomfield, Colo. After this weekend’s Goosemas affair, Goose will spare no time by returning to the stage this evening at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colo., for a sold-out show that will also double as a benefit for the Conscious Alliance. For more information on the event's choice cause, follow this link.

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Scroll down to view both setlists from Goose’s 2022 Goosemas celebration.