Viva El Gonzo Begins with Goose Guest Spots, Special Covers and Live Debuts, Plus Eggy, Dawes, Andy Frasco and More
Photo Credit: Adam Berta
Last summer, Goose tempted their fans with a cryptic announcement: “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” This weekend, after months of mounting anticipation, a flock of fans and peers alike have taken them up on the offer by coasting down to San José del Cabo, Mexico for Viva El Gonzo, the indie groove stars’ inaugural destination event. Through Saturday, May 10, the quartet will host a total of 34 performances with 13 other eclectic acts. Yesterday, in the strange spirit of their introductory quote’s roots in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the festival’s kickoff program was an outlandish and guest-filled blowout.
Thursday’s program began with an explosive performance from Andy Frasco & The U.N., followed by thrilling sets from former Twiddle frontman Mihali and the virtuosic Asbury Park-based quintet Dogs in a Pile, who went big at their set’s midpoint with a medley of “Go Set” and the well-traveled Martha Reeves classic “Dancing in the Street.” In the golden hour, Angeleno folk-rockers Dawes veered from their traditional song-forward indie sensibilities to lay out a set of acrobatic and electrifying jams, which made their focused takes on classics like “When My Time Comes” and “Comes In Waves” more affecting by contrast. After a short and sweet live set from Tycho brought a contemplative tone to the final moments of daylight, the stage was set for the headliners.
Goose assumed the spotlight with a slow build into a supercharged treatment of live essential “Drive.” From their intro’s apex, the band veered into a lane change for their second-ever live treatment of the third Everything Must Go single “Your Direction,” then followed that rubbery, loping groove with another segue into the moody, introspective space of the second single “Lead Up.” After gazing back from their new record to their first with the Moon Cabin fan favorite “Turned Clouds,” Goose invited certified shredder Mihali to the stage to support their live debut of Nirvana’s thundering Nevermind single “In Bloom.” The band somehow managed to top this powerful moment by introducing “Torero,” a new original song, to conclude the first frame.
When they returned for their second set, Goose beamed with a funky and anthemic debut performance of Chirstopher Cross’s 1979 classic “Ride Like the Wind.” In their classic second set style, this song gave way to some adventurous takes on tried and true jam vehicles, with “Into the Myst” and “Give it Time” blending together in rapid succession. The band met longstanding demand by firing up their cover of Fat Freddy’s Drop’s “Fish in the Sea,” then finally wrapped the first of their four performances with “Big Modern!”
But the thrills continued after the lights went down. Shortly after the headliners stepped away from the stage, indie-jam contemporaries Eggy stepped up for a quick but jam-packed single set performance, which concluded with a funky cover of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” led by Goose’s eminent frontman Rick Mitarotonda. Then, still at the themed club stage Crania, LP Giobbi finished off the first day with a healthy dose of Dead House.
Read on for the Goose and Eggy setlists from Thursday, and learn more about Viva El Gonzo at vivaelgonzo.com.
Goose
Viva El Gonzo – San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
5/8/25
Set I: Drive[1] -> Your Direction > Lead Up, Turned Clouds, In Bloom[2], Torero[3]
Set II: Ride Like The Wind[4] -> Into the Myst[5] > Give it Time, Fish In The Sea[6], Big Modern!
Coach’s Notes:
[1] Unfinished.
[2] Nirvana. FTP. With Mihali Savoulidis on guitar on vocals.
[3] FTP.
[4] Christopher Cross. FTP.
[5] Unfinished. With Tequila teases.
[6] Fat Freddy’s Drop.
Setlist via elgoose.net.
Eggy
Viva El Gonzo – San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
5/8/25
Set: Trixieville, Woah There, Must Come Down[1]-> Razi-> Smile, You Can Call Me Al[2]
Notes:
[1] With Slide (Calvin Harris) teases
[2] Paul Simon cover, with Rick Mitarotonda on guitar
Setlist via thecarton.net.
