Goose Soars at The Salt Shed

Jam rock band Goose kicked off their three-night residency at The Salt Shed with an entrancing performance. 

Connecticut-based Goose performed Sept. 11 to a nearly sold-out crowd at the outdoor Salt Shed Fairgrounds.

Led by lead vocalist and guitarist Rick Mitarotonda, the band is no stranger to Chicago having previously performed in the city seven times, including twice at The Salt Shed in 2023.

“It’s great to be back, Chicago,” keyboardist and vocalist Peter Anspach said as the opening notes to “Flodown” began.

The groovy rock tune with a country twang evoked a hoedown-esque environment amongst the fans, complete with audible “yee-haws,” flying cowboy hats in the pit and a striking cowbell solo by percussionist Jeff Arevalo.

The set itself was decorated as if it were the band’s living room — wooden accents hugged their sound system, a maroon and gold accented geometric carpet covered the stage, bouquets of pink and purple fake flowers in vases scattered around their equipment and plushies adorned the stage. Fittingly, a stuffed goose was situated front and center.

Members of Goose all sported drastically different outfits — from bassist Trevor Weekz’s sunglasses and leather jacket combo to drummer Cotter Ellis’s crochet vest and plaid pants. 

The second song, “Butterflies,” was a rendition from Anspach’s side project, Great Blue. The track featured Anspach on lead vocals — singing out to a loved one who cause him to “wake up with butterflies” — as well as a guitar solo by Mitarotonda. 

Without saying a word, Goose moved into a cover of the song “My Mind Has Been Consumed By Media,” originally written by the rock band Swimmer. 

As soon as “Butter Rum” started playing, the venue erupted in cheers. A seemingly audience favorite, the dance-inducing song was sprinkled with call-and-response sections between the band and concert goers — as if it was rehearsed. The song ended in a 13-plus-minute improvised outro.

“There’s nothing wrong with a little California magic,” Mitarotonda sang, on the mellower indie-rock cut “California Magic,” providing a much-needed break from the bustling song preceding it, featuring a keyboard solo by Anspach.

Continuing with slower songs, Goose covered singer-songwriter David Gray’s song “Please Forgive Me.” Throughout the four-minute outro, the stage lights began to dim until the band was left in darkness. 

The band closed out their first set with a 15-minute performance of “SOS,” complete with flashing lights, a passionate drum solo by Ellis and a winding guitar riff-off played simultaneously by both Mitarotonda and Anspach.

After a 30-minute intermission, Goose returned to the stage and immediately started playing “Echo of a Rose,” a guitar-heavy, largely instrumental behemoth of a song. Throughout the track, colored lights were cast behind the band — who themselves were in the dark — in a scene reminiscent of a stained glass window in a dark church. As the song reached its climax, white stage lights overtook the stage with blinding radiance.

Moving into a performance colored with red, white and blue lights, the band played “Wysteria Lane,” a song which caused the entire pit to sway side-to-side in unison.

A stark contrast, “Jive I” was a jittering, synth-heavy track. A chaotic synth solo by Anspach seamlessly transitioned into a Mitarotonda guitar solo. During its 10-minute duration, Mitarotonda had his eyes closed as if he were in a meditative state. Aided with quickly flashing neon lights, the venue became one big mosh pit.

Aptly following “Jive I,” “Jive II” carried on the energy. In the middle of the song, all instrumentalists but Mitarotonda stopped playing, gradually returning one-by-one and ultimately coming together to form a wall of sound. 

Closing out their second set, “Jive Lee” seemed like Goose was playing for their lives. Each musician’s playing became more and more erratic as the song progressed, as though they were channeling energy from the screams of adoring fans. 

After wrapping up the song, and without another word, the band left the stage momentarily, quickly returning to perform a 15-minute encore of “Madhuvan.” The concert ended with the band becoming engulfed by a fog machine, providing an almost mythical end to a concert full of grooves, talent and noise.