They Might Be Giants

I used to do concert reviews when I lived in Denver for a website called The Grateful Web. The following is one I wrote with a fellow concert goer when we saw They Might Be Giants in Boulder. I wanted to post it on here because it was the first thing I ever published on the web where I thought to use hypertext links. It was fun doing it. I am not even sure how many of the links even work any more.

I Am Actual Size: A Giant Encounter
By John Souders and Becca Friesen

Sometimes there are those kinds of bands that are just out in the open. Everywhere you look, there they are, the Beatles, U2, Rolling Stones, the Who gracing your television commercials with their songs, selling their images on merchandise, and even making political stands. But then there are those bands that aren’t so easily seen but often heard and have just as profound an impact as the aforementioned acts. They Might Be Giants is one of these bands.
Don’t think you’ve ever heard their music? Think again. Ever seen the show Malcolm in the Middle and found yourself singing along, “you’re not the boss of me now”? How about Comedy Central’s, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? Yep, both are They Might Be Giants opuses. Some interesting Giant bits I gleaned from Wikipedia: in 1988, their second release Lincoln removed U2’s Joshua Tree from the top of the Billboard College charts and their third album Flood, which featured the wildly popular hits Birdhouse in Your Soul and the remake of Istanbul(Not Constantinople), went Gold. TMGB, a duet consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, has released over ten studio albums, several compilations, EPs and demos. And please check out one of their lesser known but very fun works, Dial-A-Song.
The band’s name is ultimately derived from Don Quixote who in his adventures mistook windmills for giants. This year witnessed their latest release, Here Come the ABCs, following their popular children’s album No! The Johns and their backup band have found themselves on tour once again and on Saturday July 9, 2005 and on Sunday, they played to packed houses at the Fox Theatre in Boulder.
The show on Saturday was a 21 and Over performance, reserving Sunday evening for an all ages show and both opened appropriately with Corn Mo, an accordion wielding Meatloaf look-alike equipped with a foot operated electronic cymbal and a Casio keyboard. From the Queen-ish Bye Bye Girls to the polka-ish Lollipop, Corn Mo’s fluid performance rocked the house with lyrics about making out with a girl in his parent’s basement while listening to the B-Sides of Pyromania. In between songs Corn Mo recounted stories that led to the inspiration behind his songs remembering such times as when someone peed on his friend Jason. The tour de force came in the form of an hysterical rock-metal Bar Mitzvah song called Gila Monster which he “karaoked” since his back up band could not be there. Ross turned to me and said, “What the hell just happened?”
The first time I ever saw They Might Be Giants was at Denver’s LoDo Music Fest in 2002 where they threatened the crowd into a giant conga line. Their fun and innovative showmanship carried into Saturday’s performance. The lights went down inside the Fox and fog began rolling over the stage when after a technotic intro, the entire set burst into action with a heart-stomping version of Istanbul followed by Memo To Human Resources.
One of the trademark sounds of TMBG is John Linnell’s accordion, his Main Squeeze, as the sticker states. During the show Corn Mo came out on stage and they both jammed out a duel accordioned Particle Man. John’s easily recognizable and melodic voice put a grin on everyone’s face.
The performance was incredibly smooth. They played in front of a backdrop of white curtains and a carnival of lights. The only hitch came with Experimental Film, a song showcased by Homestarrunner.com, when Mr. Linnell stopped due to a “frog in his throat” and he wanted to do the song properly later on in the show. Someone in the audience yelled, “It’s just the altitude!” In true TMBG wit, John replied, “No, it’s the latitude!”
The show continued with the Alphabet of Nations song where the dramatic chords and bright lights made shouting the last line, “Zimbabwe!” a geeky pleasure. We were rocked for exactly 34 seconds with Boss of Me and an over-the-top rendition of Super Taster. I am a huge fan of their album Apollo 18, especially the song Fingertips, a collection of 21 very short songs that cover nearly every category of music and every crazy lyrical structure they could find. So I was happy to hear a new one that followed this style, a narrative tale of many venues they have played that I will assume is called The Venue Song. TMGB structured each quick melody with lyrics that were fitting to each new place ranging from “all of the House of Blues”, to a place in Dallas that had a “worrisome lack of fire exits”, and from Dallas a quick drive to Albany, then to Canada, then to the Electric Banana and on to Philadelphia. They hit Charlottesville, Virginia, “the Batcave of Thomas Jefferson” to Asbury Park where they were “kicked in the head” at the Stone Pony and ultimately back home to Brooklyn.
And then, they did it. They built birdhouses in our souls and everyone around jumped up and down in ecstasy to an extended version of this song that had more rock and roll in it than the words rock and roll themselves. We all know the excitement of hearing one of our favorite songs live but to hear it fleshed out hard and loud is pure bliss.
One final treat came during the encore when Corn Mo came back out on stage and together with They Might Be Giants debuted their rendition of Hocus Pocus by Focus to a totally enamored and awestruck audience. Corn Mo’s voice came across like a rock angel over that mic and gave rock music the true feeling it deserves. I can’t state this enough but TMBG really rocked the house that night. I was not expecting an energized rock show but that is exactly what they gave us.
Naturally we returned the next for the all ages show. Fun as it was, the second time around neither band’s sets were as fluid or well performed but they still afforded everyone there a memorable experience with the addition of more tracks from Apollo 18: Spider, The Guitar and Turn Around.
Being that I am only familiar with Apollo 18, let’s hear from a true fan, Becca Friesen. On the second night she wore a t-shirt that read: Talk Nerdy To Me and I have to thank for her for helping me with the naming of this piece. Here is what she has to offer:

One might say that a concert is just a concert, but to me this particular gathering was so much more. I never knew there were fans as crazy about They Might Be Giants as I am. They provide us with good, clean, fun, educational music about factual situations that are either humorous or enlightening in a day and age that more often than not bombards us with lyrics of hate and violence.
I know personally that I can pick up any album (they have plenty, but keep them coming) at any time and listen to any random song knowing that I will feel instantly better. Each song is individual and unique, flowing together so well that to listen to one song inevitably creates the desire to hear the next. I have always honestly said, “Who needs Prozac when there's a Might Be Giants album in the house?”
Needless to say, I had no idea that there were others out there that felt as deeply about them as I do. I was pleasantly surprised to see such diversity in the crowd as well. What defines a TMBG fan? Nothing does, seeing as there are no rules. The young and old came together to create quite an entourage and we all waited patiently for the show to start. When the first chord was struck, oh the roar coming from the dance floor was unbelievable. People screaming and yelling, proclaiming their undying love for the band. Both men and women hoping to catch the eye of a John for just a minute, the feelings were intense. I felt the atmosphere changing right before my eyes as I stood in pure amazement of what unfolded throughout the night. I wondered where all these people came from and why I had never stumbled into any of them before! I wanted the night to last forever!
The play list chosen was pure perfection for their opening night show. They graced us with just enough of the old stuff, mixed with the new to entice everyone to want to come back for the second show on Sunday. John and John took the extra time to bond with their fans making the whole night very personal by sharing stories of adventures on the road and songs created on a whim inspired from the venues played. And to top it all off, not in a million years would I have expected to hear them go into Fingertips! That alone was priceless! The room exploded as everyone sang along, which made me feel like we were all part of this huge monster.
That phenomenon made me stop to ponder that perhaps the very name "They Might Be Giants" does not actually refer to the Johns themselves as a band, but to what their die-hard fans may become in their presence. The inspiration, the knowledge, the spontaneously combustible nature, and the observational humor that laces each and every song will forever be felt in the heart of a true fan. May all who witnessed this show hold on to the thoughts and feelings that were present. Never have I seen a more compatible entourage. No fights, no hating, no judging, basically all differences were set aside for those three hours and the world seemed just a little better. I must say thank you to the Johns for bringing such happiness to us all. I was moved.
So let's all keep them alive and well and play their albums every day through the morning commute and sing along at the top of our lungs, because you know that you know the words.... and that's, ok.