30 years would be long enough for any band to appeal to a generation of parents and their children, if only because of our old friend time. It is something wholly unique that perseveres through They Might Be Giants, as they craft music that effortlessly defies generational boundaries, sometimes multiple times in one year. It is that special quality that calls for the band to put a special disclaimer up that their current series of shows is for adults only. Well, adults 14 years and older. Even with that in place, there was a bare minimum of offensive material (really just an f-bomb or two, for a crowd pleaser), and an excess of wit and music.
Literally an excess. No openers, just the band, two sets of music, and an entire talk shows worth of banter and camaraderie. With close to 20 albums under their belts, there was no shortage of material to choose from. Some new material (“Trouble Awful Devil Evil”), some middle-aged material (“Robot Parade”), and some older material (“Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” a cover, but my introduction to them through Tiny Toons). The entire show was high energy after a brief acoustic guitar solo to intro the band. Much of the bands repertoire barely scratches the one minute mark, so there was plenty of time for both song and dance. The banter in between sets seemed barely rehearsed, and John Linnell’s straight man often seemed caught off guard by John Flansburgh’s antics.
Sold out and packed to the brim, not a minute was wasted during the evening. To further punctuate how much they love their fans, the entire show was being live streamed for free. For every other song that was new to me, They Might Be Giants etched themselves a bit deeper into my musical consciousness that still vividly remembers a cartoon duck getting pounded in a wrestling match on afternoon tv.