i’ve seen the mountain goats live twice, now, and both shows were absolute events. for a band that constantly gets pegged as “hyper-literate folk-rock,” charisma oozes out of darnielle’s pores every time he performs, whether he’s got his foot on the monitor(!) or is stepping to the front of the stage to sing a quiet song sans microphone.

my first one, i was in front-row, center stage for the whole show. john dropped his pick, i picked it up and handed it to him mid-song.

the second time, i was standing right by the backstage door and the bouncer let me stand in front of it to get a better view. standing in the doorway was ben gibbard. i met him and his girlfriend, got a pic, and watched as john asked him to sing “palmcorder yajna,” a song that ben covered on his solo tour, along with the band. before the second encore(!), john was going backstage, and i screamed, “YOU’RE MY FUCKING HERO, JOHN!” he gave me dap.

mountain goats shows, for one reason or another, have always been an absolute lock for “show of the year” for me.

First Mountain Goats song I ever heard!

Never seen them live

Never Seen um first show will be at the Bluebird this Nov.