they might be giants @ riverspace 11.18.06

i knew the johns were funny, but i didn't realize how funny until i saw them live.

we saw two TMBG shows in one day at riverspace in nyack - a 3PM kids show and a 9PM regular show. at each show, they cracked me up. there was a wonderful, unscripted, earnestly funny atmosphere to all of the interactions between the band members and the audience. especially at the evening show, when flans really got going. he would start to introduce a song, and then go off on a tangent forever, which got funnier and funnier, and then finally he'd glance around and say "what are you people looking at?"

musically, both shows were great. the kids show was a really good vibe, with tons of parents and kids enjoying the music together. i loved being there with my nineteen-month-old son, who watched the show with great concentration. at the evening show, i realized that really the only difference between the kids material and the regular stuff is that the kids stuff is a bit less bizarre. but just a bit.

i'm so glad that TMBG have branched out into making music for kids. it's not just that i want to play music for my son that i don't hate. it's that the johns are a very unique band, smart and funny, happy and sad. eccentric. i want my son to value individuality, and TMBG seem to enjoy being themselves.