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The Mountain Goats on Tour
The Mountain Goats are known first and foremost for John Darnielle's rich storytelling. He has spun heart-wrenching songs from all manner of inspirational sources, from Bible verses to photos of Judy Garland, and from fictional death metal bands to his own experiences with addiction. The band's 2019 album In League with Dragons (their 17th) draws extensively from Dungeons & Dragons, the game. Even so, none of it is novelty. Set to evocative melodies and an earnest mix of folk and rock, Mountain Goats songs are full of intimate detail, unforgettable characters, gripping narratives and intense emotion. Onstage, Darnielle's devotion to his craft comes to life in a hail of spirited strumming and vocal inflection as he's egged on by a crowd that knows every word. And it doesn't hurt that the Durham, North Carolina, outfit is rounded out by bassist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster (also of Superchunk) and Matt Douglas, who plays everything from flute to keys in order to properly soundtrack Darnielle's vision.
The Mountain Goats in Concert
The Mountain Goats officially launched in 1991 with a cassette on the beloved cult label Shrimper Records, but the band's origins run tandem to those of founder John Darnielle. His California childhood with an abusive stepdad, his youthful passion for pro wrestling, his post–high school days with a rough crowd in Oregon, his years at Pitzer inventing characters while working toward an English degree — all of it would eventually end up informing the powerful themes and complex narratives of future Mountain Goats albums. While the project's earliest releases were famously recorded on a cassette boombox (culminating in 2002's classic All Hail West Texas), Darnielle increasingly embraced the studio over time, giving records like The Life of the World to Come (2009) and Transcendental Youth (2012) a dynamic sound to match the subject matter. And while some early releases featured Darnielle alone, the band too solidified as the years went by. Still, his writing has remained central, inspiring a somewhat small but incredibly fervent audience that's included fans in high places: In 2017, acclaimed podcaster Joseph Fink started a series devoted to Darnielle's work called I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, and in 2019, Stephen Colbert joined the band for a rendition of "This Year" on his late-night show.
Absolutely awesome show, a great mix of new and old music. The performance was polished, great transitions, and the crowd loved it. This was my third Mountain Goats show and my favorite so far!
After standing in line for about an hour and getting in and mistake waiting another half an hour in the merch line thinking it was the line for the bar, my friends and I eventually worked ourselves deeper into the venue to get a half-decent viewing experience. We listened to Mikaela Davis' calm and subdued set that really popped when she had a string break. She left the stage and then there was a considerable wait for the stage crew to set up for Mountian Goats. The lights dimmed and a voice-over started. The band entered and began playing without Jon. After bursting on stage the entire crowd cheered, it was amazing. The entire night was intense. Even the quieter songs on the album were still played loud and powerfully. The crowd nearly drowned him out when performing 'This Year'. We managed to get an encore, an insane five-song encore! It was the best concert I've ever attended and now I'm waiting impatiently for their return.
Loved the show. Weirded out by the Tai Chi guy. He was from outta town & made you feel like you were doing something wrong but you weren’t. What a buzz killer.
My first concert experience in NYC was amazing thanks to these guys and the lovely Pier 17. The only thing I wish had gone differently was I would've loved to have seen a setlist or gotten a better idea of the timing to catch the whole show. Next time!!!
High Energy, great musicianship, and a wonderful venue. Positive Fun Good Storytelling
This show may have been the best night of my life. The crowd was electric, and the venue was nice, but the preformers made the night unforgettable. John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats have a gift for crafting spectacular energy to match their unique, spellbinding songs. Thank you so much! (And go Kyle!)
There is such a unique energy about The Mountain Goats and they did not disappoint. They covered their catalogue from brand new to came-to-hear and interacted with the crowd from start to finish. Highly recommend!
Cried my eyes out, the mountain goats are a top three band for me and to hear them live in basically the front row was a dream come true
The mountain goats are an amazing band and the venue was a good place to have them play
The show and the venue were great, but as I predicted I had trouble with my tickets because for some reason paper isn't seen as an option anymore. The only option I had for my ticket was Google or Apple pay, but that feature doesn't work well on my phone. Had they simply used the centuries old system of using a physical ticket or paper this wouldn't have been an issue. Plus what are people who don't have smartphones supposed to do about this? They're just forever banned from witnessing live music?
I had never seen The Mountain Goats before , I’ve seen Pool during their last time opening at Pier17 and knew what to expect and they were good, but The Mountain Goats were very placid and chill , so I think they were fine definitely not my jam but they put on a fine performance
Perfect in every way. Highly recommended.The venue is top notch.
Pier 17 is a fantastic venue. The mountain goats were terrific. Great crowd solid set list.
It was a dark and stormy afternoon, but after having to postpone this show from April due to leader John Darnielle spending a week in a hotel room in Mobile, Alabama wrestling with the Round Boi, there was no way mere tornado warnings were going to keep the band from their appointed rounds. Opener Adeem the Artist delivered a fine set that was heartwarming and deeply personal, with an undercurrent of wry humor. And then the Goats took the stage, and band and audience were in sync from the start. New songs, old songs, everyone was singing along. This was a show that was wanted and needed, and the Mountain Goats delivered. When they finally finished (far too soon) with the one-two encore punch-in-all-the-feels of "This Year"and "No Children,"Liberty Hall shook to its limestone core as everyone howled along like a mad, ecstatic gospel choir to Rev. Darnielle's sermon. A magnificent show, even if they didn't play "Lovecraft in Brooklyn,""Cubs in Five,""The Best-Ever Death Metal Band in Denton,"Heretic Pride,"or any number of other songs. But, as another sweat-drenched supplicant said to me as we walked to our cars, "When the band's got 700 songs to choose from, you're never going to get to hear everything you want."So now we all wait for the next time the Mountain Goats come to town.
My wife and I travel thousands of miles just to see these guys. If you know, you know. Never a disappointment.
It was a great show. I spent the lead up listening to the Mountain Goats, and I wasn’t prepared for how amazing they are as a live band. Awesome night.
Opening act was kinda lukewarm, there was a bit of a gap where we were kinda wondering if the band got lost on the way to harrisburg and the first half was songs from the new album, which i hadnt listened to but were still pretty good. Then came the songs i knew and it immediately made up for the other setbacks. Venue was great
I wish I had stumbled onto the The Mountain Goats decades ago. I brought both a friend and my old man to the show. Everyone had a wonderful time and agreed it was an exceptional performance. I hope they come back to Huntsville!
My twenty something daughter is a huge fan of The Mountain Goats so I bought us tickets to see them at Mickey’s Black Box in Lititz, PA. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the concert but was pleasantly surprised. The theater was small and intimate and The Mountain Goats’ lead singer, John Darnielle, captivated the audience with his stories and music. It felt like we were sitting in his living room while he shared some of his favorite tunes. Matt Douglas, the only other member of the group, added tremendous depth to the music with his talent on the oboe, sax, bass and acoustic guitar, and synthesizer. It was a wonderful concert and has turned me into a fan of this obscure group.
Great show, The band looked like they had a great time playing.
