They Might Be Giants and Sparks at The Hollywood Bowl, 7-16-23 Concert Review

They Might Be Giants: "Synopsis For Latecomers"

Last night there was a great double bill at The Hollywood Bowl – They Might Be Giants and Sparks, two bands with duos at their cores, and two bands that create delightful original music with unusual lyrical content. These are two bands that seem determined to keep things interesting and keep things fun, something the audience last night certainly appreciated.

A curious thing coming to the Hollywood Bowl when it’s not a Grateful Dead-related show: the line into the venue moves much more quickly. Why is that? I had plenty of time to ponder that question while waiting for the show to start, since it took me only a minute or so to get inside and another few minutes to find my seat (with the help of a friendly staff member). It was a pleasant evening, and several people were having full meals at their seats, with wine and everything. In fact, the couple in front of me had brought two large candles and a bouquet of flowers to add to the atmosphere at their fold-out table. Why not? And what is usually the dance pit up front was filled with tables, with folks enjoying their meals like it was dinner theater. I figured that was going to make it difficult for them to dance.

The show had a 7:30 start time listed, and They Might Be Giants came out on stage promptly at that time. They kicked off the show with “Damn Good Times,” a song from Spine, and one whose title told the audience just exactly what they were in for. Before that first song was over, John Flansburgh joked, “All right, that’s it for us, thank you so much for coming out, you guys have been great,” helping to set a light tone for the night. He also said the band was used to playing under cover of darkness. They followed “Damn Good Times” with “Synopsis For Latecomers,” John mentioning first how the song comes from the band’s “Grammy-losing album,” 2021’s Book. And, yes, people were still making their way into the venue during this aptly chosen song, while the band’s horn section marched to the front of the stage. John Flansburgh then asked the audience to rise for the They Might Be Giants anthem, which, no, was not “They Might Be Giants” from Flood (a song putting They Might Be Giants in the category of bands that have a song sharing the band name), but rather “Birdhouse In Your Soul,” also from Flood. And everyone did get up to dance. I loved the horns in this rendition. They followed that with another song from Flood, “Particle Man,” with John Linnell switching from keys to accordion. Shockingly, everyone sat back down again. Well, not everyone. Not me. This rendition included a bit of Sun Ra’s “Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus,” though it was Triangle Man taking off for Venus.

Before starting “Moonbeam Rays,” John Flansburgh playfully asked, “Now how much would you pay?” “Moonbeam Rays” led directly into “Ana Ng.” John then thanked the crowd, and said, “Up until now, this has just been an exit for us,” meaning The Hollywood Bowl. And a bit later in the set, he joked with the folks up in the back, commenting on how far away they seemed. Indeed, this was far and away the largest venue I’ve ever seen They Might Be Giants perform at. As close as I was to the stage last night, it was still the farthest I’d ever been during a They Might Be Giants show (and I’ve even hung in the back at a couple of shows to have more room to dance). They followed “Ana Ng” with “Number Three” and then “Brontosaurus.” But perhaps the most exciting song choice of the set was “Spy,” a song from the John Henry album. This song has a seriously cool sound. And during that wild section in the second half, first John Linnell conducted the rest of the band, and then John Flansburgh took over conducting, eventually adding the audience to his group of musicians, which was a wonderful moment. Then “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” featured a delicious trumpet solo and a big finish. That was followed by “Doctor Worm,” which got the crowd excited, and then “When Will You Die.” They wrapped up the set with “Don’t Let’s Start,” which got people up and dancing again. Their set ended at 8:16 p.m.

At 8:38 p.m., stage smoke started to cloud the back of the stage, and at 8:40 p.m., the lights went out, and Sparks soon entered to the sound of a sort of fanfare. Vocalist Russell Mael asked, “So, Hollywood Bowl, may we start?” And the group launched into “So May We Start,” an appropriate opening number. It’s a song from the movie Annette, which came out in 2021. The audience at the Bowl started to come to life around me. “So May We Start” was followed by “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte,” the title track to the band’s new album, and the red lights pulsing on stage reached my brain just at the time the music did. After “Angst In My Pants,” Russell Mael told the audience that it was an absolute thrill to be there, and while bands tend to say that sort of thing wherever they may be, this time it rang true. Sparks is a Los Angeles band, and Russell Mael mentioned how their mother had taken him and Ron to see The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in the mid-1960s, an experience that eventually led them to now performing on that very stage. They thanked the crowd several more times throughout their set, and seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the crowd was. A band’s happiness and enthusiasm often translate to a great time for the audience, and last night was a prime example of that. A section of the crowd erupted in cheers as the band started “Beaver O’ Lindy,” a song from the second album, and one which has Russell singing about gaining “valuable experience with you tonight.” It then kicked in with a tremendous and wonderful force. They followed that with “When I’m With You,” a fun number that found Russell dancing around the nearly perfectly still Ron at the keyboard. One line that stands out for me is “I never feel like garbage when I’m with you.” I love that line.

Sparks then did a couple of songs from the new album: “Nothing Is At Good As They Say It Is,” which is one of the best tracks, and “It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way,” which featured an excellent vocal performance. Those were followed by “Balls,” a ridiculously fun song, and one of the set’s highlights, with a bit of a trippy moment in the middle. And then Ron got up from his keyboard to deliver the vocals for “Shopping Mall Of Love.” His line “She makes me laugh” had the audience laughing, in large part because of the serious, dry expression he maintained throughout most of the concert. “We Go Dancing,” another tune from the new album, is like a song from a lost, twisted musical where joyful acts are performed on command. Another highlight was “Bon Voyage,” which was rather beautiful, particularly the vocal work. I found myself trying to decipher the patterns of the lights at the back of the stage, but soon gave up cracking that code and just enjoyed the music. For I was stumbling into some glorious musical universe. “We Go Dancing” was followed by “Music That You Can Dance To,” the audience cheering the second it began, dancing and clapping along. Another moment that brought the crowd together was “The Number One Song In Heaven,” when Ron got up to do his dance. And when they began “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us,” the crowd exploded. The band had everyone together then, one of those magical moments when an entire crowd is on the same page, experiencing the same joy. Sparks wrapped up the set with “Gee, That Was Fun,” a slower song from the new album. In this one, Russell sings, “Gee, that was great/Even when you showed up late,” lines that remind us of They Might Be Giants’ “Synopsis For Latecomers.” And, hey, both of those songs work well with Los Angeles audiences, who are not the most punctual of people. And of course I appreciated the line about spending less time on the phone. The set ended at 9:50 p.m.

The woman in front of me picked up one of those candles she had brought and waved it like a lighter to indicate her desire for an encore. In less than two minutes, the band was back on stage, though half of those rich diners in the pit had left. To be right in front of the stage and leave before the end is rather rude. Anyway, for the encore, Sparks played “My Baby’s Taking Me Home,” an odd song that is basically one line repeated, apart from that spoken word section in the second half, and then “All That,” during which many in the audience waved cell phones around like folks did with lighters back in the day. “Aw, that’s beautiful,” Russell said upon seeing it. And even after a photo was taken (by Edgar Wright, who directed the Sparks documentary film, as well as Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz), and the brothers once again told the audience how much being at this venue meant to them, they were reluctant to leave the stage at the end, which became both endearing and comical, and made perfect sense to those in audience, who wished the night didn’t have to end. But at 10:09 p.m., they did leave the stage.

Set Lists

They Might Be Giants

1. Damn Good Times
2. Synopsis For Latecomers
3. Birdhouse In Your Soul
4. Particle Man
5. Moonbeam Rays >
6. Ana Ng
7. Number Three
8. Brontosaurus
9. Spy
10. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
11. Doctor Worm
12. When Will You Die
13. Don’t Let’s Start

Sparks

1. So May We Start
2. The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
3. Angst In My Pants
4. Beaver O’ Lindy
5. When I’m With You
6. Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is
7. It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way
8. Balls
9. Shopping Mall Of Love
10. We Go Dancing
11. Bon Voyage
12. Music That You Can Dance To
13. When Do I Get To Sing “My Way”
14. The Number One Song In Heaven
15. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us
16. Gee, That Was Fun

Encore:

1. My Baby’s Taking Me Home
2. All That

Here are a few photos from the night:

They Might Be Giants: "Damn Good Times"

 

Sparks: "So May We Start"

Sparks

 

Sparks

 

 

Sparks: "All That"

 The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Los Angeles, California.