Photos and Review by Daniel Ojeda
With Goose wrapping up their last shows of their summer tour, they began the final jaunt at the wonderful and fantastic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. Initially announcing only two shows at the famed venue, the band later opted to add more Colorado dates, including shows at the Mishawaka, one more night at Red Rocks, and Dillon. This first night was a special one to remember—Goose and Mother Nature made sure of that. The cool, crisp Rocky Mountain air made sure that it was a lovely evening, but the crowning jewel of the night was a spectacular near-total partial lunar eclipse that graced the evening sky.
The show opened up with a standard but fun cover of The Who’s “Eminence Front.” Next up was “Media,” a song that was brought over from drummer Cotter Ellis’ original band Swimmer. Despite playing Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre the last two years in the greater Denver area, part of the reason they returned to Red Rocks was so that Ellis could enjoy playing a show there. It was fitting that he got to play and sing one of his songs very early in the run. Fans before the show speculated if and how the band may give a nod to the partial lunar eclipse, and that nod came midway in the second set with “Silver Rising.” Every time singer Rick Mitarotonda sang the line from the refrain, “cause I know that I’ll always belong to the moon,” the crowd absolutely roared with delight. A fun cover of “Strange Overtones” followed. The rare “Spirit of the Dark Horse” continued the set, only to be followed by the ultra-rare “Dragonfly.” The latter was played for the first time in three years, so undoubtedly some people who were chasing that number can finally cross it off their lists. A monster “Thatch” closed out the first set.
As is consistent with the rest of the West Coast leg of summer tour, the band opted for a second set with fewer songs and more jamming. With only four songs played, Goose maximized the improvisation. The second set opened with “Madhuvan.” Always a producer of long jams, this was no different. It had a very spacey vibe, perhaps influenced by the moon reaching its maximum point of eclipse, before changing gears into a high-octane rock and roll jam that eventually ended in the rocking “Madhuvan” conclusion. Clocking in at just under twenty-seven minutes, “Madhuvan” was the longest song of the show. “Fish in the Sea” was next, and it contained a very dark jam. “Red Bird” brought up the vibes considerably, as the bliss jam was quite upbeat and soaring. Closing out the second set was “Wysteria Lane.” This jam was quite different from all the previous improvisation. This “Wysteria Lane” was a dance party of the untz variety. Quite affectionately known as “Goontz” by fans, this jam had everyone moving under the blood-red moon. After a brief exit from the stage, they encored with a succinct version of “POP.” With that, the show ended, and fans headed to the exits very happy with the concert they just experienced. Goose wraps up their summer tour in Dillon on Wednesday ahead of a show at Bourbon & Beyond later in the month.
