When the Mountain Goats opened their tour at Metro Music Hall in Salt Lake City last Saturday, they proved they’ve plenty left in the proverbial tank. Energy in spades. Multiple saxophone solos. Shiny new singalong tales of storms, shipwrecks and dwindling survivors. If the bright note of a night is how the tour starts, fans in other cities are in for a rare treat: experiencing a band that sounds like it still gives a good goddamn.
Sure, it might help that the band has new material to showcase, but if lead singer John Darnielle ever had any nerves about sharing songs from the curiously-titled Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan, they never once showed. (Note: The album’s new yet, but it’s a fine one to make friends with.) At one point, he joked, “And here’s the fifth song of the night we’ve never played for anyone else before.” Cue applause. Then singing. Then the rest of the sold-out venue sang with them. Rinse and repeat.
Would it be right to call Darnielle’s performance Saturday giddy? He bounced, danced, soloed and generously told tales and long stories. All of it was further evidence that he’s the same kind of performer as he is a conversationalist. When we chatted earlier this year, it felt like the constant peeling of an onion, as the man revealed layer after layer throughout. (If you missed it, that’s totally OK, and you may easily correct your mistake at your leisure.)
The chilly evening (sans opener) felt like it was over far too quickly, but that’s usually the case with the best kinds of concerts and nights. The band still managed to squeeze 21 songs into its 90 minutes, grabbing at favorites from all over their discography, including “The Lady From Shanghai” (performed live for the first time since 2009), “Damn These Vampires,” “Shave My Eyebrows,” and “Broom People.”
And could there have been a more perfect one-two punch than ending the show with “No Children” and “This Year” as last songs in its encore? Could you want more as a band than having a filled venue of your fans shout-singing along with you moments before you leave the stage? That’s as good as a kiss, really, the kind that lasts far longer than you ever expected it to.
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