{"id":1005415,"date":"2026-08-17T00:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1005415\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T00:02:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:02:34","slug":"goose-goes-hollywood-at-l-a-s-greek-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1005415\/","title":{"rendered":"Goose Goes Hollywood At L.A.’s Greek Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Goose<\/strong> returned to the Greek Theatre<\/strong> in Los Angeles on Friday for the band\u2019s first trip back to the famed amphitheater in two years. Though the venue has become a familiar location for the band\u2014appearing there in 2022, 2024, and now 2026\u2014this year\u2019s visit saw Goose arrive in a very different place in its career. <\/p>\n

Since its previous trip in September 2024, Goose has retooled as a four-piece band of Rick Mitarotonda<\/strong> on guitar, Peter Anspach<\/strong> on keys, Trevor Weekz<\/strong> on bass, and Cotter Ellis<\/strong> on drums. They have also released three studio albums in that span, including 2026\u2019s BIG MODERN!<\/a>, and are fresh off a two-night run at Madison Square Garden<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band gave its latest release a tidy, two-track nod at The Greek, along with features from 2025\u2019s Everything Must Go and Chain Yer Dragon, during nearly three hours of music that reflected the energy of a sold-out crowd anxiously awaiting the band\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

That audience included actor Will Forte<\/strong>, who sang Black Sabbath<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cWar Pigs\u201d with the band<\/a> at a Troubadour<\/strong> benefit in October 2024, and Susan Tedeschi<\/strong>, in town ahead of Tedeschi Trucks Band<\/strong>\u2019s Hollywood Bowl<\/strong> date on Monday.<\/p>\n

L.A.\u2019s first official taste of BIG MODERN! (since Goose played the album\u2019s title track at the Greek in 2024<\/a>) came during the second song of the first set. After a pleasant rendition of \u201cRockdale\u201d to open the show, Goose burst into an energetic, no-frills rendition of \u201cMEDIA.\u201d What it lacked in jams, it made up for with a message that surely resonated with folks in a town that knows the extent to which minds have been consumed by media. Four songs later, Goose came back around to its latest release with a beautifully blended \u201cGood2B\u201d that shot into \u201cArrow\u201d\u2014though not before drawing more than a few hoots and hollers for the line about \u201cHollywood Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Midway through the first set, \u201cYour Direction\u201d arrived as an uplifting palate cleanser after \u201cMEDIA,\u201d and doubled as the first official cut from Everything Must Go to reach the ears of Angelenos since the album\u2019s release last year. The second came two songs later, when Rick roared on guitar to \u201cDustin Hoffman\u201d\u2014perhaps a nod to Hollywood by invoking the two-time Academy Award-winning actor and L.A. native.<\/p>\n

In between, Goose gave the locals their first taste of \u201cPeach.\u201d The Future Islands<\/strong> cover entered the band\u2019s repertoire last September, but has already proved itself a snug fit within Goose\u2019s indie-rock foundation. All told, five of the seven songs in the first set were local debuts for L.A.<\/p>\n

After a brief set break, the fellows from Wilton, CT, returned with an ambitious run of coordinated improvisation, during which they rarely broke stride.<\/p>\n

That stretch began with an 18-minute exploration of \u201cHungersite\u201d that bled into an expansive \u201cCreatures.\u201d Cotter signaled the transition by hitting his drum with a rubber chicken, drawing more than a few chuckles from the crowd en route to a 21-minute jam that was all manner of moody and heady.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreatures\u201d poured into \u201cRed Bird,\u201d with time for Peter\u2019s vocals to fly amid a flood of red light. After that came \u201cThe Empress of Organos,\u201d which emerged as the vehicle for Trevor Weekz\u2019s most prominent bass solo of the show.<\/p>\n

Goose concluded its latest visit to L.A. with a pair of covers: Jim James<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cState of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)\u201d to close the second set and Otis Day & the Knights<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cShama Lama Ding Dong\u201d for the encore. The latter came across as one more hat tip to Hollywood, given its origins in 1978\u2019s Animal House.<\/p>\n

Though all of the songs Goose played on Friday in L.A. were well-treaded throughout this 2026 summer tour, the local crowd seemed anything but disappointed on the way out. They had not only gotten to see Goose again, on the usual two-year cadence, but also witnessed firsthand how the band had evolved and found its footing as a tight-knit quartet. If there was any complaint to be heard, it was that Goose doesn\u2019t come around more often.<\/p>\n

Not that traveling (much less going \u201con tour\u201d) has ever deterred the band\u2019s devotees. Surely, a significant swath of those fans who flocked to L.A. will be following Goose through the West. Following a show in Reno, NV, tonight, August 16th, the band will journey through the Pacific Northwest, including two dates with Greensky Bluegrass<\/strong> in Seattle and Bend, OR, and another night in Bend alongside Buffalo Traffic Jam<\/strong>. Find Goose tickets and tour dates here<\/a> and stream the band\u2019s extensive live catalog on nugs<\/a>. [Editor\u2019s note: Live For Live Music may earn a commission from tickets<\/a> and subscriptions<\/a> purchased via the links on this page.]<\/p>\n

Below, check out photos by David Tracer<\/a><\/strong> and fan-shot videos from Goose at the Greek Theatre. <\/p>\n

Goose: \u201cPeach\u201d (Future Islands) | 8\/14\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Video: blisstanger<\/a><\/p>\n

View Videos<\/p>\n

Goose: \u201cDustin Hoffman\u201d | 8\/14\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Video: Randall Apollo<\/a><\/p>\n

Goose: \u201cHungersite\u201d | 8\/14\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Video: Randall Apollo<\/a><\/p>\n

Goose: \u201cThe Empress Of Organos\u201d | 8\/14\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Video: Randall Apollo<\/a><\/p>\n

Setlist: [via ElGoose.net<\/a>]: Goose | Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 8\/14\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set One: Rockdale, MEDIA, Your Direction, Peach (Future Islands), Dustin Hoffman, Good2B > Arrow
Set Two: Hungersite > Creatures, Red Bird > The Empress Of Organos, State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James)
Encore: Shama Lama Ding Dong (Otis Day & The Knights)<\/p>\n

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Goose | Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | 8\/14\/26<\/p>\n

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