The Goos took the stage at 8:30 PM starting off their high-energy set with 'Dizzy'. I'd already told my friend Bob that I would guarantee the Goos would blow away the opening bands. I think he was a little skeptical at first, but after they got going the fact couldn't be denied: They were ROCKIN'! Promptly after finishing 'Dizzy' they tore into 'Long Way Down' and then the first bra was thrown onto the stage. Johnny picked it up and threw it over his shoulder. 'Slide' began and the crowd jumped and roared with their approval. It wasn't until the band was 2/3rds of the way through 'January Friend' things got somewhat interesting. Johnny stopped the band telling them to 'Stop' and 'Shut up'. Then he look over to what would be his left side of the crowd and said, "Hey, are you guys fightin' down there?", and continued on with ,"This isn't football practice. If you wanna fight, go somewhere else, we're here to have a good time." The crowd cheered in agreement. Then Robby spoke up and said, "Well now that we've gotten rid of the fullback, we can have a good time!" The crowd cheered loudly again. Then Johnny said, "Let's do the next song," and they went into a great rendition of 'Black Balloon'. Next was 'Bulletproof' and an excellent version of 'Name'. Robby spoke again, saying something about not remembering which album the next song was off of, because they'd been doing them for so long. It turned out to be 'Lucky Star'. I was surprised by the pace they were setting, considering how long they've been touring for the new album. I was almost sure they were going to be tired, but that wasn't the case at all.
The next song surprised me. I didn't know think that they ever played it live. It was 'Million Miles Away' and they rocked it out with the enthusiasm that they had recorded it with! Needless to say, I was very impressed. 'Naked' and 'Broadway' continued their set keeping the crowd hungry for more. At some point Johnny quieted the crowd and said he had a joke to tell us. He starts it like this: "I was gettin' hot and heavy with my girlfriend and she says 'Johnny, make love to me like Ricky Martin'. And I said 'Oh yeah? Where's your brother?" Then Johnny said, "I'll probably get my En Vida ass kicked for that one." He made some comment about being able to take on Ricky Martin or something like that and then joked about NSYNC, saying "All five of them would gang up on me, and it would, like, be all synchronized and shit." Then he simulated being kicked and punched. After the last punch he said, "Fag!" like he was talking to one of the guys in NSYNC. It was pretty fuckin' funny. They played a full version of 'January Friend' and went directly into 'Another Second Time Around'. Robby was changing the words but I couldn't tell what they were. 'Flat Top', 'Acoustic #3', 'Iris' (which was met with overwhelming approval by the crowd), 'Just The Way You Are', 'Burnin' Up', 'Hate This Place', and 'Two Days In February' finished up their set. Just as the show was ending Johnny said, "Thanks for coming everybody! Good Night!" and then they headed off the stage.
The Goos pulled off another killer show, but I don't think it was quite as good as the one I saw in Portland on Nov. 29th, '98. I was disappointed because they only played an hour and a half (I thought that their show would be two hours) and they didn't play the short film 'Greed' that everyone has been talking about the Goos playing during their shows. I really wanted to see it. Anytime they come where I can see them, I'll be there.