They Might Be Giants turned back time in Detroit, showing that even after four decades, they can still put on one heck of a show.
The sold-out crowd consisted primarily of Gen-X and elder Millennials who lined up around the block and packed the room from the pit all the way back to the bar at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre. It was a wall-to-wall testament to the enduring loyalty They Might Be Giants (TMBG to fans) has cultivated through their signature brand of quirky, and often humorous, alternative rock.
This was the third stop on their The Bigger Show Tour, which features multiple dates at each location and no openers. Vocalist and guitarist John Flansburgh joked that they don’t like to share the attention.
TMBG is using the first set of each show on this tour to feature one of their 24 studio albums, and tonight’s feature was 1994’s John Henry. The band opened with “Subliminal,” followed by “Snail Shell,” which got the crowd bobbing in motion. After that, it was “Out of Jail” and “Meet James Ensor.” It was at this point that vocalist and multi-instrumentalist John Linnell joked that “the show was about to take a hard right turn,” because they were going to play a few songs from their new album, The World is to Dig. Fortunately, there was no groaning or disappointment from fans because “Wu-Tang” featured the sharp wit and absurdist humor that fit seamlessly alongside TMBG’s older catalog without feeling like an obligation. Also featured from the new album was “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” a cover originally done by the Raspberries but delivered with a much heavier riff and more energy so that it felt like it belonged to TMBG all along.
One of the main highlights of the night, however, came near the end of the first set when Flansburgh and Linnell explained they would play their next song sonically in reverse. That song was “stelluB,” which was performed word-for-word and note-for-note in reverse. The effect was a disorienting avant-garde performance, but the crowd was promised it would all make sense later on when the video would be played back for them. As the second set opened, rather than launching straight into another song, the band rolled the video footage of “stelluB” which they had recorded 20 minutes earlier. Clearly and unmistakably, that song was “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love” from 1990s Flood. The room erupted with appreciation for the level of practice and musicianship that a trick like that must require.
From there, they kept the energy high with “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” their hit cover of The Four Lads’ standard. Instead of the standard rendition, lead guitarist Dan Miller offered up an acoustic solo version, using pedal effects to fill out the song before bringing the full horn section to a crescendo that had the crowd roaring.
As the night went on, TMBG’s newer material continued to hold its own. “Brontosaurus,” from the 2021 album BOOK, kept up the classic humor. Then, on “Man, It’s so Loud in Here,” they switched gears to more of an irreverent disco beat that had fans dancing.
Fans probably would have stuck around for as many encores as the band was willing to play, but after two, which included “Number Three” and “Doctor Worm” followed by “She’s an Angel,” it was time to call it a night. Over the course of an eclectic and incredible evening, They Might Be Giants proved once again that they occupy a genuinely singular space in American music. They are a band that has been too oddball for the mainstream, yet too beloved to be dismissed as a cult act, and that is what makes them special.
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTSWebsite Facebook X
