THEY MIGHT BE GIANTs AT THE VIC
BY MARY ICENOGLEOn They Might Be Giants’ second sold-out show in Chicago, the standing room floor of The Vic was packed shoulder to shoulder, front-to-back, with fans of every age. As an avid fan myself, I couldn’t wait until they were slated to take the stage at 8 pm. With no opener during the entire tour, the two-person duo of John Flansburgh (vocals and guitar) and John Linnell (vocals, accordion, and keyboard) was joined by their multi-member backing band for an all around longer set that ended up lasting a little over an hour and a half.
The show was divided into two sets, divided by a 20-minute intermission (which we timed and applauded their precision, returning to the stage on the exact second the clock hit 20 minutes), and multiple encores. Show highlights during their first set included their performance of Doctor Worm, a personal favorite of mine from their album Severe Tire Damage, and Stellub, that’s bullets spelled backwards if you didn’t know.
Their second set featured my favorite moment of the entire show. During When Will You Die, their brass band’s accompaniment shone through for a truly unique live performance. The song featured several moments for each member to have a solo and show their technical skills. Being thoroughly familiar with their recorded discography, I had no idea they would have a brass band, but it really added an exciting quality to the show and spotlighted exactly why live music is so amazing. The brass band gave their songs a jazz-y quality and put a new spin on songs I had heard plenty of times before.
Of course, they saved the best for last with their first encore featuring one of their biggest songs, and one of my favorites, Birdhouse in Your Soul. Of the 1,400 (give or take) concert-goers in attendance, every single person was singing and dancing to every word. Their second encore was Istanbul (Not Constantinople), another fan-favorite that had the floor shaking with every person moving with excitement. During their live performance of Istanbul (Not Constantinople), their band was heavily featured again, with an insane trumpet solo, before getting back to moving and grooving. It was the definition of ending on an absolute high note.
