Just over six years ago to the day, we heard about this relatively unknown band from Connecticut named Goose who was allegedly about to burst onto the jam-rock scene via a breakout performance at the upcoming 2019 Peach Festival. If that visionary had also mentioned that Goose would also sell out Madison Square Garden in June 2025, we would not have believed it, despite how fresh their sound was at that time. Not only did they sell out the world's most famous arena, but their performance extended past four hours, broke curfew, and surpassed our expectations. Goose graduated to the big leagues in the music world last Saturday, and did so with special guests, great covers, and inspired musicianship well beyond their current status quo.
The evening began as the band walked on stage, where drummer Cotter Ellis triggered air-horn sounds that expressed their collective excitement. The band came out of the gates swinging with the elusive “Factory Fiction,” which was played as the first song of the set for the first time in their career. A dark textured jam followed that built some serious heat.
“Hungersite,” from their 2022 release Dripfield, was up next. This flowed into a funky jam that displayed guitarist Rick Mitarotonda at his finest. Upon conclusion, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach commented about how much the stage moved as the fans danced. “My Mind Has Been Consumed by the Media” included racing, resonant drumbeats by Ellis. The music flowed into a short-lived disco-funk jam that would be interesting to hear as an extended jam.
An almost sixteen-minute “A Western Sun” followed and was three minutes longer than the average of twelve minutes and fifty-six seconds. Bassist Trevor Weekz matched Mitarotonda on the guitar, as all members were quite lively during the jam. This tune is normally a mellow six to seven minutes, making the deep jam coupled with extended time luxurious. The song also embodied the underlying theme of the evening: Go everywhere. Feel everything. See everyone.
A well-executed segue transitioned the band into “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, and eventually “Give It Time.” A slow-burn jam reached a simmer with Ellis’ sonorous drumbeats.
The band welcomed several musicians who play horns to the stage, including Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Andrew McGovern on trumpet. Seasoned Goose fans will recall both Bogie and Nelson joining the band during their Radio City Music Hall debut on June 24, 2022. Bogie was also part of Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy Experience in March 2025. The horn trio joined the band for “Feel It Now,” a track from their recent release Everything Must Go. They got cooking quickly with a lively brass jam and really elevated the melody.
The horns remained for the funk-fueled “Dustin Hoffman,” also from Everything Must Go. The combination of Anspach on the clav and the horns was a refreshing take on this brand-new song that debuted last month at Viva El Gonzo. In this instance, they did not overpower the deep groove that emerged, but rather cleverly decorated this new jam vehicle. The horns rolled into “Animal,” another Everything Must Go tune, with a quick, acid-jazz-inspired intro. Weekz drove this euphonious jam, which accelerated to reach a raging conclusion and ended this set that surpassed one hour and fifty minutes.
The band returned for round two. Anspach asked the crowd if everyone still felt good, as Ellis triggered more light-hearted air-horn noises. “Thatch,” another Everything Must Go song, kicked off the music. Weekz came in strong during the improvisation. Mitarotonda brought this twenty-one-minute heater home by unleashing his fury on guitar.
“Red Bird” followed with a jam that felt like a swirling inferno. The jam got very dark as the song waned, though this quickly mellowed out into Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” They dialed this tune up by a factor of funk. Ellis’ fast-paced cadence and quick pivots sealed everything together.
A twenty-one-minute “Tumble” followed, as the band morphed into a fuego space-disco jam. Weekz and Anspach really made this version zing. Once again, the band found themselves in evil Goose territory that eventually transitioned into a murky “Creatures.” The Constitution State quartet reminded us that this moment is the only thing we know.
A melodic transition followed into “Shama Lama Ding Dong,” by Otis Day and the Knights. This ’50s do-wop tune sounded familiar because it was initially part of the National Lampoon’s Animal House soundtrack. Before diving into this fun song, Anspach checked in with the crowd and formally acknowledged that the band had played past curfew with no intention of stopping any time soon.
A stellar segue materialized back into “Tumble,” where they picked up right where they left off. They hopped into “Jed Stone” with a slower intro. This song began as a Vasudo song and was recently introduced into their catalog. This was the second time that Goose played the tune. The set ended with a vibrant “Dripfield” that included the signature green, blue, and pink lighting display drenched on top of the iconic jumbotron by lighting director Andrew Goedde. They had played for nearly two full hours again and delivered a powerhouse performance.
The band returned to the stage to the loudest applause they had ever heard, given that this was their biggest headlining show to date. Ellis wore a gold-colored swimming brief along with a fur coat. They welcomed the horn trio once again and launched into “Arcadia,” which ended this marathon show.
This epic Goose tour sadly came to a close last weekend. However, fear not, as the band has more dates on their ledger to turn that frown upside down. They will perform at several festivals in the late summer, including Newport Folk Festival, Park City Song Summit, and the Harvest Music Festival. Their fall tour includes shows in Iowa City, IA, The Gorge in George, WA, Burlington, VT, Madison, WI, Sterling Heights, MI, Chicago, IL and more. Head on over to their tour page for more information.
Check out more photos from Madison Square Garden! Also, view our prior coverage of the Goose summer tour from Cleveland night one (review/photos), Cleveland night two (review/photos), All Good Now Festival (review/photos), Fiddler's Green (review), and San Francisco (review/photos).
Band: Goose
Date: June 28, 2025
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Location: New York, NY
Set One: Factory Fiction, Hungersite, My Mind Has Been Consumed By Media, A Western Sun -> Running Up That Hill[1] > Give It Time, Feel It Now[2], Dustin Hoffman[2], Animal[2]
Set Two: Thatch, Red Bird > Don’t Leave Me This Way[3], Tumble -> Creatures -> Shama Lama Ding Dong[4] > Tumble, Jed Stone > Dripfield
Encore: Arcadia[2]
Coach's Notes:
[1] Kate Bush.
[2] With Stuart Bogie on saxophone, Dave Nelson on trombone, and Andrew McGovern on trumpet.
[3] Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.
[4] Otis Day & The Knights.
