When I arrived to The Senate in Columbia, SC shortly after the doors opened, the line was still spilling out onto the sidewalk and down to the corner. Overhearing chatter in the line It became pretty obvious that not only were people here to see The Mountain Goats headlining, but the opener, Field Medic, had brought out a contingent of fans himself. By the time I grabbed my credentials and made my way inside the barricade in front of the stage, it had already filled with fans with about an hour until show time.
Field Medic (aka Kevin Patrick Sullivan) was greeted by cheers from the crowd as he grabbed a guitar and took a seat just left of center stage. This show would serve as my introduction to Field Medic, but I typically enjoy stripped down lo-fi one-man acts, and tonight would be no different. Engaging the crowd with a little banter between songs, he would offer up the story of how his latest album, Dope Girl Chronicles, came to be. “I always joked that I’d write an album called Dope Girl Chronicles and release it in 2023, but I didn’t have any songs for it, so I had to write them in a hurry to fulfill the prophecy,” he quipped about the album that was released last December. Maybe it’s the one-man act aspect, or the crowd banter between songs and the folky acoustic sound, but Field Medic’s set reminded me more of an intimate house show than something at a venue. If you’re new to Field Medic like I was, I’d recommend checking out “Do a Little Dope” off of Dope Girl Chronicles, along with "-h-o-u-s-e-k-e-y-z-" and “Henna Tattoo” off of the album Floral Prince.
Field Medic : Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / X
After an intermission, the house lights dimmed again as James Brown’s “Mother Popcorn” started piping through the speakers. The crowd cheered as the lights went down, but the band let the godfather of soul play for a bit to build the anticipation. As The Mountain Goats took the stage, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Starting the night on a high note, The Mountain Goats opened with one of their more well-known songs, “Dance Music,” as the crowd behind me went from cheering to singing along. While it's a short song, it's a fun one, and it set the mood for the evening well. Long time fans of the band probably noticed an absence on stage. Bassist Peter Hughes caught covid and had to quarantine, but the band soldiered on with a little help from tour manager Brandon Eggleston, and their stage tech Ben, filling in on bass for select songs
Vocalist, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and founder of The Mountain Goats, John Darnielle occasionally took a few moments between songs to tell stories from his life and the origins of songs he had played or was about to play. These stories were short but candid looks into his upbringing, struggles with addiction, views on religion, and how his outlook on life has changed over the years. Songs from eleven different albums would make it into the set list, going as far back as 2002's Tallahassee.
Ben, the stage tech, would fill in on bass for the final two songs of the set, "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod", and what arguably became the anthem of 2020, "This Year." As soon as "This Year" started, the crowd became more animated than they had been all night, and the entire room was bouncing and singing along. As the crowds volume grew, John would tell the crowd, "you sing it" for the second chorus. By the end of the song, the crowd was going wild, and their cheers did not stop as the band left the stage. We all knew there would be more to this show.
The band would again take the stage for a four-song encore. During the first song "Let Me Bathe In Demonic Light," John would get caught up in his mic cable a bit and, without missing a beat, he informed the crowd that he would die before he used a wireless mic. For the second song of the encore, John would ask the crowd if they wanted a song they knew, or a wild card. A booming voice from the back of the room yelled out "WILD CARD." That wild card would be "Hectic Pride" from the 2008 album of the same name.
John would again tell an origin story, this time for arguably their most popular song, "No Children," which he credits the TikTok kids for making famous because he says the album didn't do that well. They would first play a song that John Darnielle couldn't stand, Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," before leading into that song's antithesis, "No Children." By the end of the last song, the crowd was singing along loud enough that they were nearly drowning out the band.
All in all, it was a memorable night with a never before seen lineup that may never be seen again!
Though this tour may be over you can catch Peter Hughes and John Darnielle on The Bochum Riders Tour starting October 7th. Dates and Tickets
The Mountain Goats : Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / X / Spotify / Threads
