Day 2.266: They Might Be...Great!

As I mentioned yesterday, today was our long-awaited trip to see "John and John" as E5N1 calls them. We call them "They Might Be Giants".

After their 'Over 14s' show last night they got up early, "Afternoons are like mornings for musicians you know...I know all of you parents have been up for hours - we've been sleeping at the hotel." To be honest, it did seem to take them a few songs to shake off the cobwebs and get up to speed, but no-one seemed to mind.

The songs of their new kids album "Here Comes Science" featured heavily and were extremely live-performance friendly. Other highlights included the extended "Alphabet of Nations", "Seven" (with audience participation: "We want cake! Where's our cake?") and "Older". My personal favourite was "Meet the Elements" which kicked off the encore ("Kids, this is called the 'encore'. I know - we just said 'Goodbye!' and now we're back - and that doesn't make sense!") - I studied Chemistry some time ago (as US readers would say - it was my major at college), so I may be predisposed to liking it!

Here is the set-list (as far as I recall), not in order - but by the kid's album it is on - I wholeheartedly recommend all of them.

No!
Fibber Island
Where Do They Make Balloons?
Clap Your Hands
Bed Bed Bed

Here Come The 123s
Seven
Seven Days Of The Week (I Never Go To Work)
Pirate Girls Nine

Here Come The ABCs
Alphabet of Nations
Alphabet Lost And Found

Here Comes Science
Meet The Elements
I Am A Paleontologist
My Brother The Ape
What Is A Shooting Star?
Why Does The Sun Shine?
Roy G. Biv

Other songs
Doctor Worm
Particle Man
Istanbul Not Constantinople
Older

Notable by their absence were "The Egg - No Corners For You" - their song about the venue they were playing in and "The Bloodmobile" which I alluded to yesterday. Someone requested the latter during the show. John F replied, "We don't know how to play 'The Bloodmobile' - so complicated - maybe next year..."

He seemed very excited about the Here Comes Science bumper stickers, "I have one for everybody here - you came for the music, you can go home with a sticker." And sure enough, he was handing them out at the end of the show. Our brush with a giant!

Towards the end, they asked for whom this was their first rock show. A host of small hands and large foam fingers were raised. "No one can change that - your first rock show will always be They Might Be Giants." I'm happy my kids are included in that group. I think they are too.