Everyone’s talking about them. Geese! You know the guys who opened up for Vampire Weekend last year? No not the guys who jammed with Vampire Weekend two years ago thats Goose. The confusion has been palpable across the world of music, but not as much as the waves Geese have made. Colbert in 2022, Saturday Night Live in 2026, every festival known to man this past summer… It’s. All. Geese. Rightfully so, their 2025 record Getting Killed is an incredible work of art that has rivaled many of their influences greatest hits. Whether it’s the twisted guitar tones used by Emily Green, or frontman Cameron Winters rugged voice, Max Basin’s drum kit with enough bells and whistle’s to look like Phil Collins’ kits cousin. The band is working on all cylinders to create a fresh sound, an increasingly hard thing to find. A victory lap was in order for the New York group, after an extensive tour last fall they hit the road again this fall in venues 3x the size of the first time around. Selling out dates in minutes, adding extra nights to massive venues, resale tickets hitting $200, the place to be is a Geese concert. On November 1st, 2026, Geese killed over 3,500 at The Salt Shed in Chicago.
In anticipation of this gig, I was checking the setlists and a little disappointed. 14 or 15 songs, only 90 minutes of music (on a good night), c’mon guys you’re the band of the moment! Take this time to show all these new fans your deep cuts and older tracks. Toss in a cover of a band that you almost got a tattoo of when you were 18. We can stretch this to 2 hours if we work together. I will admit, I was fully in the wrong. In just about an hour and a half Geese hit the entirety of Getting Killed and four songs from 3D Country and were seemingly in no rush.
Becoming somewhat of a staple for not only Geese gigs, but Cameron Winter’s own solo shows, is that they will not play the same version of the song recorded on the album. A stand out change to me was a Winter getting behind a piano and playing “Half Real” as a ballad. This ever so slowly crept into recognition, and at first could swear I was back at Rockefeller Church but was eventually lulled out of that mindset as the band grew like an orchestra into a swirling section of solo’s from the bands that swelled into the final chorus.
Winter’s first stop at the piano was for “Cobra”, only the second song played. This was another change of pace, the original recording has the makings of an indie rock anthem like “Float On” or “The Sound of Settling” but is once again audibled to a sweeter, slower song. In quick succession after, the dancing began.
The triple-header of “Getting Killed”, “2122”, and “100 Horses” opened up the pit and was a catalyst for people to get off their feet and in the air. These songs seemed to be when Geese fell into the rhythm. I think the move from guitar to piano to guitar for the first three songs prevented any momentum from being built. Once Winter got off his high one hundred horses and turned on the distortion peddle it felt like the rock band of our time. Young kids who had school tomorrow met up with 40 year olds who were stoked about the Grizzly Bear reunion last year in the pit to shove, mosh, and pick each other up.
Throughout this whole set, with a variety of sounds and renditions, one thing stuck out to me: eye contact. The band was constantly watching each other, seeing where the fingers would slide on the fretboard or how many crash hits happened. I then had a realization, this is a jam band through and through. The focus and connection seems effortless for the group, incredibly in sync and never a page apart. When people would see The Dead live, if they were a casual they might be bummed out that “Friend of the Devil” was often a decelerated, almost slacker-esque take. I love it what Geese did with their set, I can listen to the recordings whenever I want but to hear a new take on a song thats rattled around my playlists for a year and a half is pretty cool. Songs evolve, and getting to hear that in real time is something I haven’t gotten sick of.
Speaking to older fans, the feeling in the venue and the band reminded them of New York and The Strokes in the early 2000’s. If you want to keep going down this path, lets say Telescreens is the Interpol equivalent and Water From Your Eyes is LCD Soundsystem, I feel lucky to have caught this generations “The Strokes” (Geese) at “The Bowery” (The Salt Shed) before they headline “The Garden” (United Center).
Geese are very clearly on the rise, and I think Getting Killed two times on tour means new music is next. Their growth from Projector to 3D Country was very evident and they lined up their shot on Getting Killed and sunk it in the far side pocket. I’m curious if their sound continues to get more focused into a specific feeling. A post-punk Geese album? Sure, I’m here for it. Let’s see where they take this.
Opener Gwenifer Raymond, a Welsh guitarist, said very few words during her set, and none were while she was singing. Her open C minor tuning is something I have not heard before and set an eerie mist over the shed with haunting and driven songs, No vocabulary was needed to display what feelings her songs were supposed to impose, each chaotic but calculated strum continued her tales. Raymond will be back in the States for Idaho’s Treefort Festival in March,
Geese have select dates left in North America this fall and will be heading to Australia in the spring to wrap up their Getting Killed… Again! Tour. You can find updates from Geese here.
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