Giants Gig: Rockin' With the Glockenspiel

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

At the Avalon

October 14

There have been many famous duos in the storied history of pop culture. Some bring to mind fond memories of childhood (Bert and Ernie), some bring wistful looks into your parents' eyes (Captain and Tennille), and some are just, well, best left forgotten (Milli Vanilli). However, in the genre of popular music, there has and always will be the almighty John and John: the driving forces behind They Might Be Giants.

They Might Be Giants, featuring the aforementioned John (Linnell) and John (Flansburgh), rolled into Boston for a packed, high-energy show at Avalon October 14. Never a typical "alternative" or "pop" band, TMBG has defied categorization in its decade-plus career. From their humble beginnings with songs that referenced Menudo, toddler highways and a pet dog's suicide, to their newest ditties about worms and dead guys, it's certain TMBG have not forgotten their quirky roots.

Indeed, how many bands can proudly say that marionettes, an accordion, confetti, Planet of the Apes and a glockenspiel are important, if not necessary, parts of their live act? The show started with a frenetic accordion-based rendition of the current single "Dr. Worm," from their new album Severe Tire Damage: Greatest Hits. The accordion was heavily exploited throughout the night, with several instances of polka interludes, and such songs as "Subliminal" benefiting greatly from the unique instrumentation.

The show's uptempo pace continued with TMBG's nod to Beach Blanket Bingo surf music, "Twisting." The pogo-ing continued well into the next song, "Till My Head Falls Off." The stage coordination was extremely tight between the two Johns and their three auxiliary musicians--all named Dan. Is this fact an insignificant piece of minutiae? Not quite...

At this point, the two Johns jointly took the microphones and announced what they liked to call "The Battle for the Planet of the Apes." They instructed the audience to pump their fists in the air in time to the music and chant for alternately "apes" (representing the Johns), and "people" (representing the Dans), while the band played music by which to yell.

Though the audience had been warned to save their energy for the 14-minute long Battle, in reality it only went on for about five. However, what it lacked in length was recovered in intensity. As the audience frantically cheered (the apes eventually won), a wildly improvised free-for-all of furious playing ensued, which included snippets of Queen's "We Are The Champions" and, to much amusement, "Ironman" by Black Sabbath. Eh? They Might Be Giants go death metal? Kick ass!

The band was in good spirits all night, chatting with the crowd intensively. Linnell jokingly introduced the new song "They Got Lost" as "Have You Seen My Keys?" and mused aloud how whenever TMBG got lost in Boston, they always seemed to end up in Somerville.

During "How Can I Sing Like A Girl?" Flansburgh let the front row play his guitar, prompting him to comment after he received it that they must go to Berklee [College of Music] since his guitar was now in better tune than before he passed it to them. Continuing with the college theme, Linnell then introduced the next song as a "song in the same key [as the last one] for all you Berklee students." A spirited version of the classic "Birdhouse In Your Soul" followed, to the delight of the crowd.

In fact, many of TMBG's most beloved songs were radically reworked from their album versions at the concert, to great effect. "Ana Ng," one of their earlier rave-ups, was slowed down to an elegiac pace. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" was almost unrecognizable on just a lone guitar with keyboards. "The Guitar" turned into a neo-hippie psychedelic experience, replete with feel-good arm-waving from the audience. "Particle Man" consisted of Linnell solo on the accordion. As an added bonus, this particular song's midsection included a hilarious interlude of "Kum-ba-ya," in a minor key, no less.

But don't think this show was just a feel-good, mindless display of silly pop music. Almost every erudite song TMBG has recorded made an appearance; the Johns even commented on this very fact. The characteristics of our fellow man were explained in Apollo 18's song "Mammal." Our glorious 11th president was immortalized in "James K. Polk," an upbeat song in which confetti was dispersed over the crowd by a gigantic cannon. The end of the regular set saw a punked-out and speeded-up version of "Why Does The Sun Shine (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)?"

TMBG definitely had the audience in the palms of their hand. The roadie carrying a glockenspiel garnered a huge response as he shimmied onstage so Dan the drummer could play a note every minute or so in "Shoehorn with Teeth." The marionette head replicas of the two Johns which "sang" "Exquisite Dead Guy" to start off the encore were perfect agents of distraction for the horribly dissonant harmonies (if you will) that are the framework of that song.

If there was one complaint about TMBG, it is that their singing is decent, at best. In some of the songs, the vocals were noticeably strained. However, the varied instrumentation and stage presence completely excused any musical inadequacies. The show oozed energy, and the inclusion of old favorites and new creations pleased both veteran and recent fans.

Flansburgh summed up the show best as he discussed with the crowd the thoughts in his head on his graduation day from art school: "I hope this rock thing works out!" He can rest easily, secure in the knowledge that it most certainly has.