Thanks to a friend who couldn't use them, I scored They Might Be Giants tickets to replace the broken Valentines gift that I originally bought for Kelly. We took in the show last night with two other friends who happened to be going, Nathan and Raquel, and it was a great time. Most of my concerts have been metal, so I'm used to screaming and head-banging, and I didn't exactly know how to get into the music, especially since I was the least familiar with the TMBG catalog. But I expected a tame show and the band surprised me by being really energetic and crazy, and really getting the audience riled up. This was a rocking and rollicking show. It was also the first show of their new tour, so we got to hear a few songs played live for the first time. I couldn't tell the kids songs from the adult songs, or the covers from the originals, without being told, which I guess is a compliment to how well they own their aesthetic. I could have done without my least favorite part of any concert, going through the motions of cheering for two encores as if they weren't part of the show, but all three "endings" were big productions that I was glad to see. It's been twenty years since I considered myself a TMBG fan, but today I am a fan all over again.


Two Replies to Gigantism

Steve Dunn | February 28, 2010
YES! I have tickets to their show in Charlotte in a couple weeks, so I'm glad to hear it's a good one.

Amy Austin | February 28, 2010
Glad to hear they haven't "mellowed" in their older age... lol... 'cuz I'm seeing 'em in Orlando tomorrow! (And I'm a little jealous about not having seen them last in Tampa night, but still psyched nonetheless...)

In fact, I did get to see a show twenty years ago right here at UF's Reitz Union Ballroom -- up close and personal! Don't know if UF is still procuring anybody so awesome these days (some other shows I saw here (for free!) in the early 90s include Concrete Blonde, The Smithereens and Midnight Oil -- all fantastic!!!), but it's pretty hard to top TMBG, in my opinion. Might be hard to imagine rockin' out to a tuba and an accordion, but if this show is anything like the one I saw in 1990, then I could have told you to expect some crazy high energy and an awesome performance!!!

Woot!!!


Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

Great Weekend

Some people love going fishing all weekend; others prefer a romantic getaway. The perfect weekend for me these days means getting enough sleep and writing a FIN post from start to finish, since getting even one of those is a rarity. But this weekend, I put everything else aside and did both. Go »

Amazon Appreciation

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Amazon.com. They've been my primary retailer for over a decade now, not to mention the seller of most prizes in the goo game and Oscars contests on this site. Once they started offering their Prime service ($80/yr gets you free 2-day shipping and discounted overnight shipping), they leveled the playing field against local retailers: No longer did I feel the need to save up a list of several items and buy them all at once to save on shipping. Go »

The News is Scary

Sixth-grader admits stabbing ducks with pencil. Does anyone else read this and think, this kid will grow up to be Jeffrey Dahmer? Vegan parents guilty of murder. Go »

Thank You Mario! But Our Princess is in Another Castle!

(link) Go »

Sarasota

Aaron Weiss likes taking pictures with his spiffy new camera – go figure – and yesterday he captured this beautiful panoramic shot of part of downtown Sarasota. This is why I live here. [I compressed his version for filesize, which caused the pixelization in the sky.] Go »

Illinois, October 2012

Our road trip to see friends and family in Illinois was well worth it. The drive both ways was pleasant. I indulged in junk food like a man taking a break from six months of dieting (since my post-Atkins diet started in June, I've lost 50 pounds). Go »