Photo: David Tracer — Goose performs at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, 8/14/26
Goose returned to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday for the band’s first trip back to the famed amphitheater in two years. Though the venue has become a familiar location for the band—appearing there in 2022, 2024, and now 2026—this year’s visit saw Goose arrive in a very different place in its career
Since its previous trip in September 2024, Goose has retooled as a four-piece band of Rick Mitarotonda on guitar, Peter Anspach on keys, Trevor Weekz on bass, and Cotter Ellis on drums. They have also released three studio albums in that span, including 2026’s BIG MODERN!, and are fresh off a two-night run at Madison Square Garden
The band gave its latest release a tidy, two-track nod at The Greek, along with features from 2025’s Everything Must Go and Chain Yer Dragon, during nearly three hours of music that reflected the energy of a sold-out crowd anxiously awaiting the band’s return
That audience included actor Will Forte, who sang Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs” with the band at a Troubadour benefit in October 2024, and Susan Tedeschi, in town ahead of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Hollywood Bowl date on Monday
L.A.’s first official taste of BIG MODERN! (since Goose played the album’s title track at the Greek in 2024) came during the second song of the first set. After a pleasant rendition of “Rockdale” to open the show, Goose burst into an energetic, no-frills rendition of “MEDIA.” What it lacked in jams, it made up for with a message that surely resonated with folks in a town that knows the extent to which minds have been consumed by media. Four songs later, Goose came back around to its latest release with a beautifully blended “Good2B” that shot into “Arrow”—though not before drawing more than a few hoots and hollers for the line about “Hollywood Jesus.”
Midway through the first set, “Your Direction” arrived as an uplifting palate cleanser after “MEDIA,” and doubled as the first official cut from Everything Must Go to reach the ears of Angelenos since the album’s release last year. The second came two songs later, when Rick roared on guitar to “Dustin Hoffman”—perhaps a nod to Hollywood by invoking the two-time Academy Award-winning actor and L.A. native
In between, Goose gave the locals their first taste of “Peach.” The Future Islands cover entered the band’s repertoire last September, but has already proved itself a snug fit within Goose’s indie-rock foundation. All told, five of the seven songs in the first set were local debuts for L.A
After a brief set break, the fellows from Wilton, CT, returned with an ambitious run of coordinated improvisation, during which they rarely broke stride
That stretch began with an 18-minute exploration of “Hungersite” that bled into an expansive “Creatures.” Cotter signaled the transition by hitting his drum with a rubber chicken, drawing more than a few chuckles from the crowd en route to a 21-minute jam that was all manner of moody and heady
“Creatures” poured into “Red Bird,” with time for Peter’s vocals to fly amid a flood of red light. After that came “The Empress of Organos,” which emerged as the vehicle for Trevor Weekz’s most prominent bass solo of the show
Goose concluded its latest visit to L.A. with a pair of covers: Jim James’ “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” to close the second set and Otis Day & the Knights’ “Shama Lama Ding Dong” for the encore. The latter came across as one more hat tip to Hollywood, given its origins in 1978’s Animal House
Though all of the songs Goose played on Friday in L.A. were well-treaded throughout this 2026 summer tour, the local crowd seemed anything but disappointed on the way out. They had not only gotten to see Goose again, on the usual two-year cadence, but also witnessed firsthand how the band had evolved and found its footing as a tight-knit quartet. If there was any complaint to be heard, it was that Goose doesn’t come around more often
Not that traveling (much less going “on tour”) has ever deterred the band’s devotees. Surely, a significant swath of those fans who flocked to L.A. will be following Goose through the West. Following a show in Reno, NV, tonight, August 16th, the band will journey through the Pacific Northwest, including two dates with Greensky Bluegrass in Seattle and Bend, OR, and another night in Bend alongside Buffalo Traffic Jam. Find Goose tickets and tour dates here and stream the band’s extensive live catalog on nugs. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music may earn a commission from tickets and subscriptions purchased via the links on this page.]
Below, check out photos by David Tracer and fan-shot videos from Goose at the Greek Theatre
Set One: Rockdale, MEDIA, Your Direction, Peach (Future Islands), Dustin Hoffman, Good2B > ArrowSet Two: Hungersite > Creatures, Red Bird > The Empress Of Organos, State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James)Encore: Shama Lama Ding Dong (Otis Day & The Knights)
