Article Contributed by Jake Cudek
Published on 2026-05-26
Goose | New Orleans, LA | April 22nd, 2026 - Photos by Jake Cudek
For many, April 22, 2026 seemed to be a typical Wednesday in the Crescent City: breakfast, morning commute, work. It seems that New Orleans, heralded as the birthplace of Jazz, never truly goes silent from a musical standpoint and for this new morn, nothing had changed. As the AM hustle began, musicians were already greeting all walks of life with impromptu street corner music, adding to the soundtrack of the city. With temperatures contained to the seventies and some intermediate cloud cover, no one could ask for better conditions to begin this day to take in the culture of the urban jewel known as Bulbancha, the Choctaw word for “the place of other languages”. From the New Orleans Jazz Museum to beignets and ferry rides along the mighty Mississippi River to the French Quarter, streetcars and sidewalks were filled with smiling faces that were happy to pass the time embraced in springtime southern charm no matter the destination.
For fans of the band Goose, especially those who had had their DNA rearranged the night before in the transcendental vault known as The Saenger Theatre, the mid-week hump was going to be anything but typical and promised to be another beautiful day of living. Add in the fact that this was the nationally recognized Earth Day and every card carrying hippie and free-thinker was travelling with even more bounce to their step and stopping each other throughout the city with a nod and a smile or full blown conversation over drinks.
Arriving a couple of hours before showtime, it came as no surprise that there was already a healthy line, albeit shorter than Tuesday’s, as many seem to delay arrival due to the promise of reserved seats and having procured their posters and merch the night before. The scene was as one would expect, many sharing the celebration of memory of the prior night’s festivities and commenting that opening night might have been the best show of the tour thus far, making it tough to beat. Although the first night’s performance was certainly packed with the high energy of legend, everyone standing at the corner of Rampart and Canal seemed to be energized and ready to throw down once again.
With doors opening right on time and staffed by gracious faces and smiles accordingly, the would-be audience was ushered in with the same respect and congeniality that had been experienced the night before. The vibe continued to be laid back and meandering, facilitating conversation and engagement rather than hurried flurry. With a start time of eight o’clock, patrons opted to get to their seats earlier this night not wanting to miss a note and enjoy the comfort that is the charm of the theater. Even the band seemed to be moving on a slower clock, opting to push until twenty five after and with a full house and an eager crowd ready to get with it, Peter Anspach snapped a quick photo after entering and kept the pleasantries short, “How we doing, New Orleans? Alright, alright!” under the deafening and energizing call to arms by the lucky ones strapping in to spend the night with Goose.
Bathed in shadow and blue hue, the band laughed amongst themselves as the crowd hyped the moment even more and multiple voices yelled out “Let’s f*cking go!”, like horses chomping at the bit, standing at the ready to be let loose. With a palpable energy emanating from the seats and the band finally ready to roll, drummer Cotter Ellis led with a four beat count in that ended with the dark room splitting open on the snare drop, spotlighting bassist Trevor Weekz as he thumped out the customary and well received funk opening of “Yeti”. As the tune got rolling and the group turned out the lyrics together, the first break turned focus to Anspach with that canary eating grin as he stoked the joy machine not on keys, but with his bright red Suhr guitar, dancing and energizing fans from his keyboard corner. With only minutes into night two, it was clear that the band was firing on all cylinders and the audience was feeling it, grooving in reciprocation. Getting to the wide open space, Anspach’s inner yeti could not be contained to his piano pen any longer and the wireless man on the move headed for center stage. With the band and their product churning around him, Anspach posted up right in front of “Coach” John Lombardi, Goose’s longtime everything man, giving the legendary one man support group an eye full for his camera as he plank-styled a leg scissoring exercise on a central amp, cheshiring and beaming for the audience at home as well as the front row. Making a pass at Ellis’ station to cover the full width of the stage, Aspach eventually returned to work at his cubicle and settled in to finish the tune off in all the right ways. With a significant groove ensuing, the mustached man echoed in reverb as Mitaronda splashed against the vibratory backdrop. As the jam morphed, Ellis moved from the straight ahead snare and hi-hat progression and turned on the jungle thunder for multiple measures, mixing it up with some heavy handed tom work until the band broke for ecstasy and Mitarotonda turned on the fireworks. Although Goose is great when the four members stay in their lanes, everyone appreciates a great tune where Anspach gets to mix it up with Mitarotonda on the guitar. At a little over twelve minutes, this extended version lit the fuse in a big way for night two.
Like a breath of fresh air, “Silver Rising” was up next. Haunting while comforting, this tune reflects truly the unique brand that is Goose. Lyrically mixing the perspective of reflective man turning beastly lycan with a musical structure that combines an emotional refinement alongside a frenzied finish, this one was certainly well received and got many wolfish howls throughout its time on stage.
“Same Old Shenanighans” opened gently into slot three and got a warm reception at the onset. This one is known to get big and expansive and did not disappoint. In fact, of the sixty four times it has been played since 2016, this one clocked in as the longest, timing out at nearly twenty seven minutes. Working their way through the main theme, it was evident that the band was taking their time and playing to the moment. With no loose note or discord, the breakdown section was tight, dynamic, and clean, Mitarotonda bending the blues and Weekz playing into the offbeat alongside Anspach’s synth. Turning to the subsequent “(dawn)” verse and structure, Mitarotonda let those chords ring out, simple and long. Reaching the six minute mark, the signature dance theme started and Anspach got down to it as Mitarotonda hit heavy on the rhythm. Two minutes in Mitarotonda turned on the ‘wah’ and got bubbly. Closing out the lyrics to “(dawn)”, Anspach employed Hammond and Leslie to help lift the room for several measures. Starting on tilt, the band came on strong to the midsection, but it wasn’t long when the reins dialed back and everything quieted while holding the same tempo. Anspach laid down a soft but speedy repeating phrase on the synth and Mitarotonda threw out more blues attacks, riffing and popping. With the Weekz / Ellis connection, the whole thing moved forward at a pulsating pace, arresting the hips as the rest of the instrumentation took over the arms, legs, and head resulting in an eight minute throwdown. The runaway trains subsequently gave way to the weird as Anspach went minor and Mitarotonda belted the crowd with line after line of dissension, Weekz bombing the room over and over again and Ellis just pushing everything to the edge with fills and crashes. The smoldering jam turned purgatory inferno lasted a full thirteen minutes before the positive reprieve of the “S.O.S” rescued the psyche and broke like the morning sun, putting hands to the air and smiles across every face in the place.
Without a pause, Ellis got his chance in the hot seat and brought his version of country twang meets oddity with “Draconian Meter Maid”. An original creation from Ellis’ days with his former band Swimmer, this got a lot of airplay in 2025 and has a tendency to run into double digits. Packed with peculiar references and unexpected musical changes, this one tickles that phishy element that has connected so much of the fanbase of that other band to the new school of Goose. Completing the defining elements of the tune at about four and a half minutes in, the band spread their wings and took to the skies. The air was soft and the light touch of Anspach and Mitarotonda hovered above the grounding work of Weekz, Ellis riding high on the cymbal work. Two minutes more and Mitarotonda turned to the effects pedals while Anspach began playing in double time with Ellis following suit. With a base meter established, Anspach turned the synth setting to the vibes and Mitarotonda just continued the work out, using a gritty tone that had big balls and attitude. By the end, this version maxed out at fifteen minutes of solid playing and tickled the cerebral patterns in a big way and included teases of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” towards the end. Of Note, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael was set to release two days later and the criminal reference may have been in reference to that.
To close out the first set, the audience was treated to another Grateful Dead staple with “Peggy-O”. Although originally a folk song of Scotland born in the 17th century, Jerry Garcia’s affinity for traditional tunes from Europe and the early American musical tapestry” brought such pieces like “Peggy-O” and “Jack-A-Roe” to the attention of many a Deadhead. All these years later, there is still a rousing appreciation with their recognition and history when presented across the musical communities when their familiar sounds are played. As with many modern jambands, most groups focus on original material and often notably stray from using the GD canon to fill setlists, but with the abundance in crossover between fanbases, any time the music of the Grateful Dead and especially Jerry Garcia are played, they are generally perceived as something special and this April eve in New Orleans was no different. This version came in at just under nine minutes and was the first version since November 12th, 2024, making for an eighty four show gap. With Anspach on the guitar providing strong support, Mitarotonda belted this one out with conviction and truth, twisting his face and singing from the heart, and when he sang the Louisiana line, the room just blew up. At its end, although a slower tune, it seemed appropriate to call the finish to act one, a five song first set totaling out at seventy two minutes.
Following a short break as promised by Anspach of the first frame, the tetrad returned and fell forward into a sizable version of the original number “Tumble”. Almost half an hour in length, this one was the sixth longest version out of one hundred thirty one since its debut in 2019. On a side note, the longest version ever was performed in 2023 in, you guessed it, New Orleans. Centralized on the lyrical ideal that there are no accidents and that every moment is full of potential and resulting perspective, the musical structure hints on everything from reggae, good ol’ rock and roll, and even contains brush strokes of themes from the far east. Hitting the five minute mark, Anspach switched from keys to strings and began dancing in place, laying out his underlying groove thing, and setting off the resultant dance funk fest of the room. Mitarotonda played over his compadre and watched the room get with it from floor to ceiling. At eight minutes, Weekz and Ellis laid out, cutting the sound in half, leaving the axe men cleaving at the beat, pushing the audience to call out for more. Returning to the bench, Anspach hammered out intermittent chords of grandeur and Mitarotonda stepped to the effects pedals and, finding his desired tone, let the music play the man. Once again, the WE of Weekz and Ellis was operating as one mind while the whole machine transcended its sum of parts and reached into and channeled singularity. Much of this one’s exploration held an uplifting and positive dynamic with minor dischord towards the end. Within the last two minutes, Anspach with a nod signaled an octave shift and Weekz reciprocated, Mitarotonda sitting back and letting the three play on. At this point, the ensuing rumbles seemed that the band might hit on The Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” if only for a moment, but instead pivoted, Anspach’s watery guitar part that is the irrefutable signature line of the familiar and well loved “Creatures”.
Tight from the start, it was easy to tell that the band was riding high and feeling good and the room was just feeding into it all. The delivery was spot on and sealing the deal at seven minutes, the finish of the tune was held in a slowed down ghostly vocal carried by Anspach and Mitarotonda, each repeating and alternating different phrases from the lyrics. As the band recentered, they entered into the wind up for more improvisation and kept the twenty six hundred dancing. WIth a few minutes of moving pieces around, Mitarotonda returned for multiple minutes to and played through the major theme of the “Tumble” jam and everyone gladly played follow the leader, following the inspiration to the climax of the tune.
As the ecstasy of the “Creatures” ending came to rest, the muse pulled hard on emotion and, with an easy slip, pushed the band into “Slow Ready” with Weekz leading the way in. Sexy in synth, this one is the epitome of the slow jam that beckons connection and intimacy while being big, bold, and beautiful, saying exactly what it needs and getting you there. At sixteen and half minutes, this version would mark the fifth longest version to date. Anspach’s finger love loosened the room and Mitarotonda’s commanding guitar drove the passion of the moment. Looking around The Saenger, there were more than a few couples in embrace, swaying to the sweet groove. Around seven minutes, the mood moved from yearn and want and built back into solid soul spinning dance vibes. Travelling with a delicate and ethereal pulse for several minutes, this was yet another side of Goose that stood in contrast to so much of the rest of the night let alone the whole of The Saenger run. Certainly special at the twelve minute mark was Mitarotonda’s voicings that invigorated the heart and mind and took it all to another level, seemingly improvisational in nature and the product of being led by the spirit.
Without pausing, the closer of the set got a little help from a friend in town for JazzFest, the band welcoming Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee to rock the keys on the eighties hit “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. Without an introduction, Cummins sidled into Anspach’s space, taking a seat and working perfectly into the cover. Taking the lead on vocals, Ellis showed his extra talent at singing and playing drums without issue, belting out each syllable with confidence. When it came time to get into the middle, the band afforded Cummins plenty of wiggle room as he took turns trading licks with both Anspach and Mitarotonda rather than laying back and playing the head as many guests often do in the sit-in position. Six minutes into this take, the group morphed from playing the familiar radio number and took the form far from what Rockwell ever envisioned for this song. At the end, Anspach thanked New Orleans and introduced “Joel Cummins on the piano” before the walk off. This version would mark only the second version of the tune ever since its debut in November of 2025.
Although choosing “Somebody’s Watching Me” as the closer seemed somewhat random and possibly an easy choice for a guest to sit in on due to familiarity, this may in fact have been very deliberate as another Michael reference. It turns out that MJ sang unaccredited on the studio version alongside Jermaine Jackson as Rockwell was not only the son of the founder of Motown Records, but Rockwell and Michael were childhood friends.
Returning to the stage and with Cummins in tow, Anspach delivered his final salutations to close out the two night run, “Yo! Thanks everybody. Give it up for Joel Cummins from Umphrey's McGee. It’s good to have some friends in town. You guys are an incredible audience, you've been amazing here. This has been incredible. We hope everyone has a good JazzFest this weekend if you’re going. If not, maybe we’ll see you in Houston tomorrow night. Thank you so much everybody. We love you guys. Thank you for coming out and making this happen.
“Arcadia” would be the final choice to say goodbye to NOLA and all her beauty. With Mitarotonda pushing through the lyrics without a break, the band relinquished the spotlight to Anspach and Cummins to mix it up, giving them nearly four minutes to banter with piano and organ respectively and putting not only smiles on both their faces, but the faces of the thousands egging them on with their own beams. Following the four minutes of keyed camaraderie, Cummins comfortably joined the Goose soup and raged along with the quartet, cranking on the swirl as fellow conduit not outsider. Dishing it out, the climb burned and it was easy to see that the band was having as much fun getting the room off with their farewell tune as was their friend. Coming in at twelve minutes, this was a healthy and satisfying selection to put an end to back-to-back nights of pure joy.
Walking out of “The Crown Jewel of Canal Street”, the crowd was aglow from the inside out and huddled in pockets under the marquee, commenting on the quality of this good life lived with the best soundtrack ever. “Some of the best Goose yet” and “Did that just happen?” were some of the reactions overheard as stranger and friend connected, having nowhere to go but this moment shared, unified in the afterglow of how the incredible unseen force of music binds us to each other, creating a shared experience in the now that moves us all well past ourselves.
Catching snippets and throwing smiles in route to the afterparty, obscured by the revolving cast of fans, there was witnessed a lone man, almost out of view, carrying a poster tube and a smile and reflecting on the notavitous element of his face, it was apparent that the singular character from night one, Herb the lone lineman, had accomplished what he set out to do and by the look in his eye, bounce in his step, and light in his smile, his reward found was without limit and beyond expectation just like the multitude who surrounded him within the walls of The Saenger.
It has been twelve years since the band Goose was created and in that time, it has grown in ways that have been beyond expectation. They have survived growing pains and the rigors of entertainment, hitting milestone after milestone all along the way. Although many have described their sound as indie-groove, whatever that means, they have certainly painted outside of any line that has attempted to draw a bead on who they are or what they should be and crafted a sound that is all their own. They admit to their influences and build on those ideas that have inspired while staying true to themselves. They have invested everything they have into their experience with a focus on their goals as musicians while tailoring the concert experience for their audiences that make a night with the band accessible, rewarding, and most of all memorable. Looking to the personalities on and off the stage, they come off as genuinely connected to one another and are facilitating the moment to serve the greater good. These four men known as Peter, Rick, Trevor, and Cotter are creating a space where participation in the unexpected is the norm, where everyone is welcome, and the only thing that matters is what is happening right here, right now. Never resting on their laurels, the band is currently engaged in a two week European tour with a twenty seven date summer tour waiting for them shortly thereafter and with no signs of slowing or changing their formula of spontaneity, this band of brothers seems to be one of those groups that is here to stay and will be here for a long, long time, supplying their brand of magic to those willing to give themselves over to that special thing we know as Goose.
