As soon as I entered the Barrymore Theater, I knew I had arrived at a They Might be Giants concert.
Even without glancing at the large marquee outside that read “AN EVENING WITH THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS,” the electric energy inside the venue was a clear sign I was in the right place. A crowd gathered around the ticket window, the merch table was buzzing with activity and the concession stand had a line 10 people deep.
The concertgoers reflected TMBG’s decades-long career. The crowd ranged from Gen-Xers who have been fans since the band was just two guys named John, to members of my generation, who are just now discovering both the band’s recent releases and extensive discography.
As founding member and bassist John Flansburgh noted at one point during the show, there was no set theme to the night’s performance, which allowed a “vibe” to form organically as the night went on.
In addition to Flansburgh and John Linnell, TMBG's other founding member, the concert also featured the band’s full ensemble of horn and percussion instruments, including a fan-favorite horn section that gave certain songs an extra panache.
The sheer size of the band that night made it clear this was, as advertised, “THE BIG SHOW,” with a presence that could be felt throughout the venue.
Even if avid TMBG fans are familiar with the band’s studio recordings, their live performances never cease to turn the audience’s expectations on their heads. From a reggae re-imagining of their song “Particle Man” to a rendition of “Spy” that included a sample of “Here Comes Santa Claus” alongside the usual solos, the band took their material in unexpected, interesting and often bizarre directions.
Following in the spirit of many TMBG songs, the band also experimented with playing their music backwards. They played “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love” in reverse, recording it live and playing the video backward at the start of the second act and challenging other bands of the alternative rock scene to do the same with their music.
Considering that many songs in their catalog feature such backward experimentation, the reversed rendition of “Sapphire Bullets” came out surprisingly well, albeit with a few syllables slightly out of place.
The band also invited their fans to join in on the performance. At one point, Flansburgh offered the strings of his left-handed bass guitar for an audience member in the front row to strum. Later on during the show, the band joined in on an impromptu chant from the crowd, each contributing their own instrument to the pounding rhythm.
No matter how many times one listens to TMBG’s albums on repeat, the live format gives the band an opportunity to continuously reinvent their material, creating new musical experiences from deep cuts and fan-favorites alike.
Seeing the band perform live in Madison was a special treat because of both the outstanding music and the insight it provided into the group. It was easy to feel the comradery between the band members that comes from over 40 years of musical experience. At many points in between songs, the band exchanged witty quips reminiscent of a stand-up comedy show as much as a musical performance.
These observations — which ranged from State Street’s growing lack of used bookstores, venues covered in fake blood from previous performances and an “unfriendly” dog that somehow made its way backstage — felt like peering into the creative process of the band, which was often just as unusual and absurd as the music they’re known for.
Ultimately, the band had a stage presence that made it feel like the audience was all part of a collective jam session. Much of this energy may have been due to the fact that this performance would be the last stop in the Midwest leg of their “Big Tour” before the band heads Down Under to Australia.
Needless to say, as the band departed the Midwest and ventured abroad, they certainly made an impression at the end of their tour.
