The Band of Dans

I just got back from seeing They Might Be Giants play live for the first time in several years. I haven’t been following them much since the last time I saw them. That last time was a New Year’s Eve concert in New York and to put it kindly, the band was a little off. Tonight’s concert was a completely different experience.

Tonight’s concert blew away any bad memories of the group. There were many songs I didn’t know, but the Johns and their back up band (the same guys who played with them at that last fateful concert — the “Band of Dans”) were tight.

The concert (or at least my ticket to the concert) was a wonderful Christmas gift Denise bestowed upon me, and after convincing Becca to go, the three of us plus Darren and Ali took the train to New York, grabbed a quick but expensive dinner in Penn Station (future reference: bad idea), and hopped on the Q subway train to get to Union Square.

My favorite performances of the night were It’s So Loud In Here with a new-to-me techno beat, Robot Parade, and She’s Actual Size interpolating an awesome “dial-in” drum solo by Dan Hickey.

Let me explain the “dial-in” drum solo. John Flansburgh and Dan Hickey were the only people on stage at this point. John told the audience that Dan, or the replicant Dan in this case, will begin playing a set of drum solos. John started each one out by addressing the audience: “To hear Ringo Starr of the Beatles, press or say ‘one!'” Dan then did his best Ringo imitation. John continued: “To hear Keith Moon, press or say ‘two!'”

Remarkably, John came up with twelve or thirteen drummers that Dan was easily able to mimic.

Another favorite point in the concert was when the band played “Spin The Dial,” where they have a radio on stage, tune it in to one channel after another, and they start playing along with the music, often breaking into their own verses. Fun.

Okay, sleep now.