On Monday, Oct. 13, Brooklyn-based indie rock band Geese delivered a triumphant, sold-out headlining show at the Majestic Theater, marking another high point in their skyrocketing career.
The Detroit performance came less than two weeks after the band appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Oct. 1, performing their single “Taxes” from their newly released third studio album “Getting Killed.” The appearance followed Kimmel’s return to television on Tuesday, Sept. 23, nearly a week after his suspension earlier that month. The timing gave the group a boost in national attention just as their Getting Killed World Tour was set to begin on Friday, Oct. 10 in support of the album.
Opening the evening’s show was Racing Mount Pleasant, an Ann Arbor-based indie group set to open for Geese through the remainder of the first leg of the tour. Their evocative alternative rock and indie folk sound has been compared to such acts as Bon Iver and Black Country, New Road.
The group variously incorporated shimmering guitars, sympathetic vocals and mellow violin, but tenor saxophonist Samuel Uribe Botero stole the spotlight with a commanding solo on the band’s second-to-last song. His performance drew even louder cheers from the standing crowd, tightly packed but thoroughly pleased.
The 1100-capacity venue erupted when Geese took the stage. Frontman and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Cameron Winter led the charge with “Husbands,” backed by dense, funky drumming and a pulsing bassline. The set leaned heavily on “Getting Killed,” with standout performances of “Hundred Horses,” “Taxes” and “Long Island City Here I Come.”
Midway through the set, the band expanded “2122” with an interlude out of left field – a cover of Pink Floyd’s pioneering 1968 instrumental “Interstellar Overdrive” – before crashing back into their own driving rhythm. Touring keyboardist Sam Revaz even showcased his skill on the divisive keytar. The blend of precision and chaos in their arrangements indicated a consistently unpredictable, experimental streak.
After finishing “Mysterious Love,” Winter paused to take in the moment. “This is the biggest headlining show we’ve played,” he told the audience, thanking fans for selling out the venue. Some fans had driven from as far as Ohio to catch the band live. His words drew one of the loudest cheers of the night.
Moments later, Winter and drummer Max Bassin broke into a spontaneous bongo jam, trading rhythms under careening stage lights. The improvised segment spurred a communal burst of energy before the group exited the stage to raucous applause.
By audience demand, they returned after a few minutes for an encore. Winter tilted his microphone stand down and sat cross-legged at the edge of the stage for a soft, stripped-down performance of “Domoto.” “3D Country” brought the energy back up to a fever pitch, closing with knotty, groove-based album opener “Trinidad.” Winter’s lyrical refrain of “there’s a bomb in my car!” sent the developing mosh pit in the crowd’s center into a whirl, a fitting end to the night.
By the final chord, both the band and audience looked exhilarated. Several dozen sweaty moshers composed themselves as the band issued a final thanks and departed the stage.
For Geese, the Detroit show was far more than their third stop – it was a triumph. The band’s sharp musicianship, relentless risk-taking and innate sense of humor has carried them from Brooklyn’s basement venues to the national spotlight. With their first world tour underway, Geese has shown they are no longer a mere band to watch, but a band that has, in full force, undeniably arrived.
