I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] The Mountain Goats

I have wanted to see The Mountain Goats for years–pretty much ever since my friend Andrew introduced me to them (with burnt CD copies of albums).  I finally got to see them this summer while playing with Guster and that was great.  I had no idea that the band had so much fun up there and I really enjoyed their set (as I figured I would).

So when they announced this Free at Noon, I jumped at the ticket.  Sure I had just seen them two months ago, but they were great and I wanted more!

I walked in and the usher suggested I sit in the ADA section.  I didn’t want to, as I like being closer, but the crowd was big and rather tall, so I grabbed a seat and happened to be right next to the very Andrew who introduced me to them.  It makes sense that he would be there (he said the same about me) and it was a fun surprise.

The band came out and started with one of my favorite Mountain Goats songs, The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton.  I cannot believe that the song is 25 years old!

I actually wondered how many different songs I’d hear compared to the summer’s set.  Well, it was mostly the same, but of the nine songs they played, there were three that they didn’t play this summer.

But, it was also really fun to know the other songs.  I had really enjoyed Bones Don’t Rust last time and I really really liked Broken to Begin With–a terrific song from the new album.

I really like seeing John Darnielle pogo during the instrumentals and bounce from one musician to the next smiling at the music they are playing–sometimes seeming maybe surprised by a move or another.

He explained that the new album is about a sinking ship (which he is on). Rocks in My Pockets is about it as is Great Pirates. 

When he announced the last song, Sax Rohmer #1 the crowd went nuts.  They played it at the Summer Stage and the crowd went nuts for it then too.  It’s a super catchy and a great set ender.

The band left the stage and I was just about to get up when Mike V from WXPN asked if we wanted one more.  Darnielle said that they had made the setlist for this show a few days ago but today when they asked if they wanted to do an encore, he said he hadn’t thought about it.  But here they were playing “the song you think it will be.”

I really enjoyed This Year when he played it this summer and I enjoyed it even more today.  Somehow the song is 20 years old but the chorus “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me” seems more apt than ever.

They are playing Ardmore Music Hall tonight but I have tickets to see Deltron 3030, so I’ll be missing them again–although I’m sure they will play all 9 of these songs tonight too.

But yes, I will definitely want to see them again.

 

	10/3/2025 Free at Noon	8/1/2025–Stone Pony Summerstage
	The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton ∏	New Britain £
	Bones Don’t Rust ♥	Bones Don’t Rust ♥
	Rocks in My Pockets §	Water Tower δ
	Broken to Begin With §	Broken to Begin With §
	New Zion ∇	Moon Over Goldsboro Ø
	Before I Got There ♦	The Young Thousands ⊕
	Great Pirates δ	Lakeside View Apartments Suite ¥
	Sax Rohmer #1 ∇	Before I Got There ♦
	encore	Heretic Pride ∇
	This Year ♣	Orange Ball of Love ‰
		New Zion ∇
		Sax Rohmer #1 ∇
		Up the Wolves ♣
		This Year ♣