Goose by Daniel Prakopck

Goose is loose! The Connecticut-bred jam band is set to play its first-ever Miami Beach shows, and first anywhere in South Florida since gigs in 2017 at Funky Buddha and Guanabanas.

So just what is this non-native waterfowl returning to our shores? Goose formed in 2014 and took a road-warrior mentality toward live performance to gain a (webbed) foothold in jam circles. Their recorded music, though, is quite different from the holy touchstones of jamdom, The Grateful Dead and Phish. There’s not so much country or Americana in this Goose; instead their latest studio album, 2022’s Dripfield, gives off pop-jazz shades of Steely Dan and the world-music vibes of Vampire Weekend.

But one thing Goose have in common with their jamophone brethren is the steady drip of live recordings: thirteen concert albums just since 2020, each with a different set and variations of recurring audience favorites.

Goose have received plenty of notice for their work ethic. In June The Atlantic featured a long profile, ”The Improbable, Unstoppable Rise of Goose.” Last year Uproxx ran an interview proclaiming Goose “(Still) America’s Next Great Jam Band” and quoted member Peter Anspach crowing about Goose crowds: “With the sold-out shows on this tour, it feels like everyone who wants to be here really wants to be here. And they really want to be here to see us do our thing.”

Fans on Reddit flock to r/jambands and r/GoosetheBand to post about songs, setlists and band members’ doings on stage and behind the scenes — “Goose discourse,” as one Redditor wrote. Gooseheads share their cover songs, tour posters, Goose memes and handmade art.

But it might be among the celebrity set where Goose boast their biggest following. They have a knack for getting bold-face names to step on stage to shake a tailfeather with the band. Noteworthy Goose guests on tour have included Jimmy Fallon, Big Boi from Outkast, alt-folkie Father John Misty and Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Who knows if, say, Pitbull, Gloria Estefan or Tua Tagovailoa are down with Goose enough to do local cameos.

Goose perform 8pm Tuesday and Wednesday, October 29-30 at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. goosetheband.com ~ David Rolland