Shows/2025-11-22

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Encore 1:

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They Might Be Giants
Globe Iron in Cleveland, OH
November 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM


Fan Recaps and Comments:

SeaIntoTheLandem:

I was expecting it to be an Apollo 18 show, after the Fingertips accident that happened the previous night. Before the show, while everyone was waiting outside the venue, I set up my pony bead bracelet making kit on the sidewalk and made a couple bracelets before the show. Oddly, I was not the only person doing this! The show itself was a ton of fun, I stood on the Flans side this time. In my opinion, this setlist was capital-S STACKED. I'll Sink Manhattan had been high on my list of songs I wanted to see live after hearing the Beast Of Horns version, and WOW, it was even better in-person. Fingertips was also on that list, and again, it was amazing! At one point in between songs, Linnell alerted the sound guys that the bass was "exploding in his ear" or something like that. Danny came up and asked them if he should turn his bass down. The bar at the venue was selling this odd glowing cocktail. My mom was fascinated by the moisture-activated glowing plastic ice cubes in them, and I think she was more entertained by those than the actual concert. I had a super fun time, but I had more fun the previous night.

Bluef00t:

This is the first time I've ever felt any of that waiting-in-line-early social magic that many bigtime fans seem to experience. Probably helped that there was a place along the sidewalk to sit, people making and exchanging bracelets, and I recognized several people from the previous night's show. The two parallel lines (one was FastPass) also helped with conversation density and lax exact-line-position. The parking lot sits in the shadow of a majestically-sized aqueduct; the Globe Iron is definitely in a post-industrial spot.
I gave out some little zines with the lyrics to The Famous Polka and Fortnight, enjoying momentary pretentious fan status when virtually nobody recognized the second song. (This ended quickly when Eddie asked me "What's the EP with the pale pink square cover?" and I thought no such thing existed.) Well, here's more concert memories in no particular order:
  • Apology (1 of 2) to the very nice person in a fantastic dress right behind me in line, for whom it was their first TMBG show. When the venue began letting in our plebeians' line at the same time as the fast-passers, they caught their mistake seconds after scanning my ticket. The honest thing would have been to step back out the door and wait... but we continued on in. Sorry. I meant to try to snag a drumstick or something to make it up to our abandoned line-buddy (they ended up maybe 3 rows back, we were one row from the barricade) but it didn't work out.
  • For whatever reason, Marty didn't actually drum along to the Stompy intro. Linnell gave him a sorta "What's the big idea?" gesture about it while walking on.
  • Flans came onstage reading opening remarks off an index card. "We're happy to be performing at the historic Globe Theater, where so many of Shakespeare's works were performed," got a big laugh.
  • Flans swapped from thick black glasses to his clear frames after Synopsis, which got a cheer (everything at a TMBG show gets a cheer.) "So you didn't like his glasses BEFORE?" Linnell needled. "I was thinking, when we said this would be our last show of the year, everyone went 'yaaaay~'. Which could be taken more than one way. I'm a sensitive guy."
  • Right after Mammal, JL stopped to make a special request to Scott the soundman, saying "The subwoofers are killing me." Danny grabbed a mic to ask if he should turn down his bass and the audience responded with a resounding "NO!" "We're not asking the audience," Linnell said, a little amused. "It's making my brain vibrate." As technical difficulties were being worked out, Flans started some rock-dude audience-hypin' ("Casual survey for the audience: Should we blow the roof off this place? Sure hope they've got the insurance for us to wreck this joint!") as Linnell dolefully pretended to quit ("Well, see you next year... Have a nice gig... Enjoy the rest of the show, Flans, see you backstage... Nahhhh. Just kiddin'.")
  • After Girl Don't Come in the intermission mix, everyone held their breath for the band's return--and then ANOTHER SONG STARTED. There were 5-10 seconds of front row amusement/bemusement before it clicked off and was replaced by the Stellub backwards video.
  • Apology (2 of 2) to whoever wrote on a napkin "Please play Nine Bowls Of Soup for my kids who can't be here!" and passed it up front. First of all, the barricade too far from the stage to pass it to the band, and it fell irretrievably into no-man's land. Second, the band writes their setlists in advance. Third, they have never played that song live, and fourth, if your kids weren't there, then...? Well, never mind.
  • JL missed his entrance to Stuff is Way because the audience was cheering too loudly. "Hang on, can you do that again?" he asked, so the audience cheered again, which made him laugh. "Not you. I was talking to the drummer." THE DRUMMER? Marty mouthed in mock-offense, off-mic behind him. I'm "the drummer"???
  • During the traditional beard-and-glasses survey, it was remarked that beards were getting less common. Several people pointed out a scruffy guy near them. Flans looked, then scoffed "Yeah, you have a beard like I 'have a beard'."
  • If I had just one quibble, if Number Three gets its samples, why doesn't Withered Hope? (Anyways, why does Number Three get samples with a live bari sax in the lineup...?)
  • If there must be only one Particle Man interstitial... I am glad it's Rocket No. 9. The whole band doing the riff in in unison just thumps me in the chest in such a good way.
  • And if I had just one setlist quibble... I would have loved to get Authenticity Trip rather than a second night of Operation.
But these are the PETTY COMPLAINTS of the SPOILED. I guess I saw the last show of the year two years in a row. Wow, I love live music. Hope to get another chance in 2026... with NEW MATERIAL!
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