They Might Be Giants
The Agora and Globe Iron, Cleveland, OH
By Rob McCune
They Might Be Giants’ John Flasnburgh and John Linnell brought dorky dad energy, in the best sense, to Cleveland’s The Agora for a “Black Friday” special the week before Thanksgiving, serving up a feast of more than 30 songs in a two-set show.
And because even that was not enough, the Giants did it again across town at the Globe Iron the very next night.
Two concerts, four sets, 60 songs, including six songs in four encores.
Numbers to make your head spin and your feet tap.
The band with 23 studio albums, five of them children’s music including “Here Come the 123s,” could write a song about it, and it would very likely be a smash hit.
That’s because TMBG fans know exactly what they are getting and want, and yet, a TMBG concert is also full of surprises.
They Might Be Giants have sold more than 4 million albums in the 40+ years since forming, starting as a college radio sensation and then honing a style of alt-rock that is remarkably unique in how it appeals to nerds of all ages.
Face it, we’re all nerds for something. And TMBG are nerds for everyone and everything – from prehistoric to futuristic.
The Cleveland shows featured not just the backing band of Dan Miller on guitar, Danny Weinkauf on bass, and Marty Beller on drums, but also a trio on horns (sax, trumpet and trombone).
The Johns, jubilantly chatty as usual, showing off a friendship that dates back to their teen years, bantered between songs and generally had a blast engaging with the audience.
The crowd also had an unmistakenly uproarious evening, singing along and at one point fully illuminating the venue with their swaying cellphone flashlights, from balcony to front row. At the Agora show, a group of fans got a real treat as guitarist Miller popped into one of the opera boxes, followed by the spotlight, for a solo.
At the Agora show, TMBG highlighted their fifth album, “John Henry,” in the first set, with eight songs including “Dirt Bike” and “Snail Shell,” while at Globe Iron, on night two of this Cleveland tour stop, the first set emphasized album number 4, “Apollo 18,” with 10 tracks including “Dinner Bell” and “The Guitar.”
Other songs met with exuberance from the fans each night included tracks off the third and best-selling album, the platinum “Flood,” with “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Particle Man,” and “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” the latter of which got considerable buzz among a young audience when animated for Warner Brothers’ “Tiny Toon Adventures.”
They might be giants, and they might be in their 60s, but they haven’t grown up and, thankfully, aren’t likely to.
Rob McCune is Every_Thing_After_Photo on Instagram, where he shares his concert photography and reviews, as well as clips from his “Every.Thing.After” podcast, with interviews with musicians and bands.
