“The Kiss Army doesn't hold a candle to Mountain Goats fans.” Megafaun, who performed a rousing opening set for John Darnielle and company, were not lying. These fans packed in the Paradise almost as soon as doors opened. These fans gave rapt attention to Megafaun, singing and clapping along, even though this presumably was their first introduction. And as soon as the Mountain Goats took the stage, these fans could not contain their overwhelming affection for the beloved songwriter and his band. In fact, in the front row, there were three men smiling so hard, I was concerned they had forgotten to breathe.
Nothing could distract from the mutual love in the room that night, though there were potential culprits. With Darnielle's first attempt at “Dinu Lipatti's Bones,” he quickly realized he was playing in the wrong key. With his second attempt, he stopped suddenly, telling his band there was no guitar in the monitor. But with a shrug and a “third time's a charm!” the crowd and frontman sang together, “We raised a tower to broadcast all our dark dreams,” as though nothing had happened. Shouts for “Freebird” prompted a tongue-in-cheek tirade from Darnielle, who later gave a heartfelt monologue about how blessed he was to make a career of music. When he looked into the crowd, offering the statement, “I'm so glad you're here,” you knew he was sincere.
Mountain Goats shows aren't polished performances, but celebrations of a man, his music, and his loving fans, some who've followed him for almost 20 years. The exchange between crowd and singer never ceased. Early on, Darnielle took the stage alone and asked for requests. After each shout, he responded, “Older. Older!” until finally satisfied with “Torch Song” from his second cassette. When he welcomed back the band, someone shouted, “It's raining men!” which prompted a 10-second dance party in the otherwise lyrics-heavy setlist. Unswayed, Danielle responded, “This is a similar song. It's about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia,” then jumping into “Prowl Great Cain” from their latest release All Eternal Decks.
The crowd welcomed the new material--tightly performed with the full band--as well as Danielle's classics with equal enthusiasm. Though surely most were familiar with Darnielle's background and those much-coveted, lo-fi cassettes, Darnielle introduced the older songs in his signature, charming manner. Before “You or Your Memory,” he described writing the song from a cheap hotel after a long nursing shift in L.A. After eager cheers, he responded, “Clearly, you're cheering for L.A. and not that trashy hotel.”
Though the lively spirit of the evening never waned, the fans reserved energy for the loudest songalong of the night, an encore of “No Children.” Singing, “I hope we both die,” with huge smiles, catharsis and affection met at a crossroads for this singer and his fans.
Set list:
01. Liza Forever Minnelli
02. Southwood Plantation Road
03. Dinu Lipatti's Bones
04. Jeff Davis County Blues
05.Age of Kings
06. Birth of Serpents
07. Outer Scorpion Squadron
08. You or Your Memory
09. Raja Vocative
10. Torch Song
11. You Were Cool
12. Prowl Great Cain
13. Damn These Vampires
14. Elijah
15. Home Again Garden Grove
16. One Fine Day (Carole King cover)
17. Beautiful Gas Mask
18. Never Quite Free
19. This Year
Encore:
01. Plain (Silkworm cover)
02. Psalms 40:2
03. California Song
04. No Children
