My Night at Goosemas: A Glimpse into the Jam Band Community
A jam band show is not just a concert; it is an experience that typically comes with a euphoric afterglow that lingers just long enough until the next act is in town. When you purchase a ticket to one of these shows, you sign up for much more than a set with a couple of extended songs, and, as a semi-frequent jam band show enthusiast, I feel obligated to share a small glimpse into this nomadic world of song and dance.
PHOTOS BY BRIAN GRANDE
I had the opportunity to attend a night of Goosemas. What is Goosemas, you may ask? Goosemas is an annual holiday show put on by a band called Goose, and this year’s Goosemas took place across two days, December 12 and 13, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. Goose is a Connecticut jam band made up of Rick Mitarotonda, Trevor Weeks, Peter Anspach and Cotter Ellis. When I first heard their track “Your Direction,” I naively thought I had stumbled upon a song by some niche indie band, and, as one does when that happens, I looked them up. In this process, I learned that they are, in fact, not an ultra-niche indie band; they are a decently popular jam band praised by the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Phish’s Trey Anastasio.
The Pre-Show Ritual
As I drove up I-95 to Providence the morning of the 13th, I made sure to look out for the jam band bat signal: a Grateful Dead sticker on the back of a car. I love seeing how far people are willing to travel to experience some shared joy. I followed the other stickered cars off the highway and into the streets of Providence to partake in an essential, unofficial pre-show ritual referred to as “shakedown,” aka the tailgate that happens before a jam band show. Named after the Grateful Dead song “Shakedown Street,” this practice dates back to the respective era, and it’s a way for people to follow the band’s entire tour by selling goods to other fans. This pre-show event is crucial to the maintenance of a jam band’s cult following. Being indoors, this “shakedown” was a little different, but it still maintained the same open atmosphere that breeds deep connection amongst the fans before the venue doors even open.
Live! From Section 226
Upon entering the venue and getting through security, we all made a mad dash towards the 200s section. This was the first concert I had attended where the nosebleed seats were all general admission in addition to the typical floor GA section. While waiting in line, I saw families planning out their route to their desired seats while also planning secondary and tertiary routes if they were unable to fulfill their original plan. I decided on section 226 and was greeted by a group of fans who assured me that I had picked the right section. This was a promising sign! While waiting for the show to start, I decided to get to know the people around me; other than a solid jam, community is one of the most important things in the jam band world, so I wanted to pick the brains of people from various walks of life to try and further understand the common ground that brings us all together.
I initially spoke with a mother-son duo, Carrie and Kyle, who traveled from Granville, New York and Burlington, Vermont to attend another Goose show together. In speaking with Carrie, I found that it was her son who took her to her first Goose show in 2022, and in the span of three years, she has gone on to attend 11 more shows. Her jam band experience did not begin in 2022, though. She was lucky enough to have gone to Grateful Dead shows back in the 70s, so I knew she would have the type of well-rounded insight that I was looking for. I had asked everyone whom I spoke to what they think differentiates the jam band fan base from your typical concert goer, and I think Carrie hit the nail on the head with her response:
“You know, I don’t really understand why everybody who gets into jam bands are just loving people, but they are. It’s such a community; no one is amped up in the wrong way, and everyone is like, ‘go ahead, you're cool.’ I can’t explain the psychology behind it.”
Carrie’s son, Kyle, spoke to me about his first Goose show. His friend dragged him to a small dive bar in Buffalo in 2019 to see them, and now Kyle has gone on to see Goose 12 to 15 more times (he lost track of the exact number). When I asked Kyle what he thinks separates jam band fans from other concert goers, he said:
“Well, I mean, the community. It goes without saying; everyone is just so kind and welcoming, and, in my experience, jam band fans are just a lot more dedicated. I have always liked it, and I have always been welcomed into it. It's great.”
After only having spoken with two people, I was already really feeling the sense of community and openness that Carrie and Kyle spoke about. I went on to speak with Andrew from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who told me that the two nights of Goosemas would be his 5th and 6th Goose shows. I asked Andrew if night one alone was worth traveling halfway across the country, and he provided some great insight into why people are willing to travel so far for a show.
“It was, because you know that you are going to see something that’s totally different. It’s not the same. Obviously, the shows on tour aren’t the same, but this is a whole different bucket.”
He went on to explain why he thinks the jam band scene is so different from the average concert experience.
“My wife asks the same kind of question. Even this morning, she asked, ‘So are they playing the same show tonight?’ I said, ‘No, darling. Not the same show. Totally totally different.’ I think that’s what differentiates it all. You have no idea what you are gonna get. We can guess, and they could play none of them. We got one of mine last night. The first song of the encore was ‘Jed Stone’, and that is one of the ones I wanted to hear. Other than that, I don’t really care because you know you are going to see a couple of token favorites and then stuff that they never play. They played Radiohead last night; I love Radiohead.”
This is another key component of a jam band show. What keeps people coming back is the fact that no two shows will ever, EVER, be the same. Most fans have a list that tracks which songs they have seen and which songs they have yet to unlock.
Finally, I got the chance to speak with someone who grew up in a house of Deadheads. Paige, from north of Boston, was attending her first Goose show after having grown up surrounded by jam band culture. Even though this was her first show, she still had great insight when asked about what makes jam band fans different:
“I feel like, with this type of thing, it’s more fun. Everyone is really nice. I feel like often when you go to some other big artist, the people aren’t as nice and welcoming, but here, everyone is really nice, everyone is welcoming, and you just really want to dance and have fun. You don’t have to know all the words to all the songs; you just have fun. You can just dance and feel free.”
These individuals not only spoke of the unique fan experience, but they also practiced it the entire night. Throughout the night, I had people continuously asking me how I was doing and how I was enjoying my first Goose show. Andrew from Saint Paul yelled to me at one point after a jam, “You asked why we come to these things. Jams like that are why.” During the set break, one individual asked me how I liked the show so far, and then went on to ask me to explain why exactly I felt the way I did. He urged me to embrace what I was feeling and continue to enjoy the next set. For the rest of the set break, Carrie and Kyle shared travel stories with my friend and me as we all showed each other pictures of our different National Park adventures. I have truly never experienced this level of camaraderie and care at a concert before.
The Main Event
Goose put on a life-changing show. Exactly 16 minutes after the set was supposed to start, a classic Goose move, the spotlight shone down on Mitarotonda, who opened up the set with a rendition of an old folk song called “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Slowly, members of the Providence College Chorus joined Mitarotonda on stage, backing him with their ethereal vocals. Next, the rest of the band joined in for the end of the song before they transitioned into “Give It Time.” Once I heard the beginning of “Wysteria Lane,” I felt the joy that my new friends in my section had spoken to me about. On my way to the venue, this song came on in the car, and I hoped that I would be hearing it live later; I won the jam band lottery! They transitioned seamlessly into “Dawn,” closing out the first set with a 30-minute-long number that felt like it was over in an instant.
The second set was a trip. The band really honed in on this year’s theme, which they referred to as “Barnaby Glimpse’s Show Upon Time: A Phantom Menagerie.” This pretty much means it was a dark carnival theme. The stage was riddled with tasteful exhibits that brought the whole arena into a dark, creepy carnival world, and, fittingly, they started this set with a cover of The Band’s “Life Is a Carnival.” While still riding the high of a 16-minute-long version of “Hot Tea” that featured a mini horn section made up of Stuart Bogie, Dave Nelson and Andrew McGovern, we were gifted an unexpected surprise. This surprise was an 11 minute long DJ set/jam session. I was suddenly transported out of the creepy carnival into the club. DJ Marb Menthols is bassist Trevor Weekz DJ alter ego that is brought out at shows here and there. Let me tell you, if being the bassist for Goose doesn’t work out, Weekz could kill it in the club scene.
The Encore and Surreal Realities
The encore was its own show in itself. A spotlight shone down onto a platform in front of the soundbooth, revealing the host of the Phantom Menagerie, Barnaby Glimpse. He welcomed us to take a glimpse into his world. Next thing I knew, the stage was taken over by people in animal costumes. I am not talking cat on halloween costume; the stage had people covered head to toe in extravagant furs and feathers, while people in the front of the stage controlled giant animal puppets. There were also aerial silk performers hanging from the ceiling of the venue. Confetti and balloons came flying into the crowd while the act covered “Dramaphone” by Caravan Palace.
Goose allowed the stage performers to shine during this cover; how could anyone focus on anything else? They eventually transitioned into a Goosemas favorite, “Empress of Organos.” After this night, this song will forever be incredibly meaningful and powerful to me. As I watched people sing and dance with friends new and old, experienced so much care and acceptance from the kind strangers around me, watched the beautiful display of talent in front of me and listened to the empowering lyrics of the song, I began to struggle internally. I was reminded that while all of this was occurring, Providence was on lockdown. This same day, a gunman opened fire on a study group at Brown University, killing two and wounding nine. How could I be having this euphoric and positive firsthand experience of humanity while a senseless tragedy is occurring less than a mile away? The echoing lyrics of the song permeated the minds and souls of the people in the arena that night as the undertone of tragedy lingered. Everyone sang at the top of their lungs over and over again:
We know you think that you're powerful
But we've got the love and rhythm
You say, looks like rain today
We say, oh what a day to be livin'
The juxtaposition of this whole experience was deepened with an announcement after the show that urged us to get home safely and not be alarmed by the massive police presence outside the building. As I walked to my car, my euphoria quickly faded into fear and deep, deep sadness. It is so unfortunate that in a world full of so much love and beauty, people still choose to lead with hate and enact destruction. I will always feel so deeply for those who were affected by this tragedy and similar ones that occur way too often.
This was one of the most surreal nights of my life. I was able to feel, so deeply, the welcoming spirit that lives at jam band shows while experiencing the depths of the creativity held by one of my favorite acts. I also sat in the somber shadow that hung dark and low over the city of Providence. I feel so grateful to have been able to pick the brains of those around me while sharing an experience with them that I will never forget. I urge anyone who longs for a genuine, fun and loving community to go to a Goose show or any jam band shows. The incredible music that comes with the atmosphere is a truly awesome plus.