They say by the time you are 28 years old you’ve already listened to the soundtrack of your life. Your brain has made the synaptic connections, which are the groundwork of what will become buttery nostalgia for the rest of your life. That’s it, just 28 short years. At that point you start to avoid new music and focus on what’s comfortable… and then along comes Goose. In a very short time they have become the soup’du jour of jam fans everywhere. Their recent winter tour quickly began to sell out dates as word of this flying musical monster spread. By the time they reached Fort Collins Goose was on the back end of tour that spanned three months and a few thousand miles on the road. Their performance did not disappoint.

Goose invited local jam cats Amorphic out to open up the show. They played for about an hour as fans streamed into the venue. I heard from more than one attendee that they had traveled a distance to be there, because this was the closest show with tickets still available. Still the room was near capacity by the time Goose took the stage. Amorphic has come a long way in the last year. They have been playing prolifically along the Front Range and focusing on both musicianship as well as honing their song craft. In short Amorphic is becoming the full package. They have a small but dedicated following in Colorado and as festival season approaches I’d look for their star to rise. They opened with a chunky “Meatbook” but the highlight of the set was an extended jam on “Just Maybe.” They closed the set with a powerful “Love.” Amorphic is infatuated with spacey, ethereal jams, and a groove that is very much in the pocket. Their show at the Aggie was eye-opening for many of the locals in the crowd. It was obvious by the end they had made more than a few new fans.

Goose has been blowing up playlists, blogs, and social media for most of the year. They have reached peak saturation online as they gain new fans by the hour. Why you ask? Well, Goose utilizes all the things that jam fans love; sweet covers, tight jams, and extended musical explorations. Take all that in conjunction with interesting and at times silly songwriting and you have all the makings of an allstar jam outfit. Their two set throw-down at the Aggie was a great introduction for the uninitiated. They opened with the John Phillips classic made famous by The Grateful Dead “Me and My Uncle.” It was like a warm hug saying, “It’s okay come on in; the water is fine.” They continued with fan favorites like “Time To Flee” about an uncooperative elevator, and rocked out on a rendition of Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is.” It was at this point that a man in the front row proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes. Goose closed set one with “So Ready” dedicated to the happy couple.

The second set stretched on with Goose playing until last call. They treated fans to a slew of covers including Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes,” Kenny Loggins’ “Make The Move” and Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island.” They wrapped it all up with a huge “Tumble” before they came back to encore with a wonderfully executed “Disco Inferno.” This band has all the trappings of a headliner and I foresee big things in their future. They played to a crowd of 50 or so at the Aggie in July, four months later it was almost a sell-out. You can see where this is going. Get on that Goose before it flies away.