Goose Begin Second Viva El Gonzo with Special Guests and a Sit-In with The Disco Biscuits
Goose’s Rick Mitarotonda and Cory Wong
At long last, Goose’s Viva El Gonzo has returned. The ascendant indie-jam quartet’s second annual destination festival is already a testament to their rapidly rising profile, with a flock of high-profile peers in tow for three days of music in the tropical paradise of San José del Cabo, Mexico’s El Ganzo Oasis. On Thursday, May 7, the weekend’s program commenced with sets from Kitchen Dwellers, Mikaela Davis, Cory Wong and Dogs in a Pile, who debuted a new original, before the host band emerged for an electric headline performance.
Goose stepped out for their first show of the festival (apart from a single set exclusive to Super Ted VIP guests) with an immediate curveball of The Shouting Matches’ threshing blues rocker “Bear,” which they’d debuted at last year’s Goosemas and staged only once since. The quartet got back to old business with “Same Old Sheanigans,” then lit into a medley of other staples “Dr. Darkness” and “Silver Rising.” to cap off their first frame, the band called on Wong for a surprise guest-spot, employing the extra firepower for their Chain Yer Dragon cut “Mr. Action” and a debut cover of Jimi Hendrix’s classic “Hey Joe.”
Following some intermission music from La Boa, Goose emerged for their second set in the company of frequent collaborator Stuart Bogie, who brought woodwinds to “Interlude II,” one of the rarest tracks from their 2016 debut, and its album pairing “Jive I.” Bogie, now something like an honorary member of the band, remained onstage for a high-spirited cover of Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue,” “Wysteria Lane” and a grand finale of “So Ready.”
While Goose’s sets may well have been the climax of Viva El Gonzo’s first day, they certainly didn’t punctuate the evening’s program, as the Disco Biscuits and their electronic alter-ego TRACTORBEAM kept the crowd active until 3 a.m. During the Disco Biscuits portion of the set, Goose’s Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach and Cotter Ellis all emerged to join the veteran livetronica act for one of their signature originals, “Helicopters.” The three members of Goose had previously collaborated with the Disco Biscuits’ Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner at a late-night New Orleans show tied to Jazz Fest last year. (The five musicians played a show under the alias Foie Gras & CrumpUntz after Goose performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, kicking things off with “Helicopters”; Ellis, in particular, cites the Disco Biscuits as an influence on his playing). While last night’s festivities were originally billed as separate TRACTORBEAM and Disco Biscuits sets, the group played through their break, morphing into their alter-ego TRACTORBEAM configuration for the final portion of their set.
Find Goose’s full setlist from Thursday night below.
Goose
Viva El Gonzo
El Ganzo Oasis, San José del Cabo, Mexico
5/7/25
Set I: Bear[1], Same Old Shenanigans, Dr. Darkness > Silver Rising, Mr. Action[2], Hey Joe[3]
Set II: Interlude II[4] -> Jive I[4], Electric Avenue[5] -> Wysteria Lane[6], So Ready[6]
Notes:
[1] The Shouting Matches.
[2] With Cory Wong on guitar.
[3] Jimi Hendrix. FTP. With Cory Wong on guitar.
[4] With Stuart Bogie on woodwinds
[5] Eddy Grant. With Stuart Bogie on woodwinds.
[6] With Stuart Bogie on woodwinds.
