(Photo: Gregg Greenwood)
As the Gomez show began last night at Terminal 5, singer-guitarist Ian Ball thanked the crowd, an ardent group of fans covering a surprisingly large range of ages, for coming out to the band’s third New York City appearance in just two months. He later added: “We’re gonna play some stuff we haven’t done before” to the delight of those in the comfortably filled room.
Ball and singer-guitarist Ben Ottewell stayed in their respective places onstage while the other band members, singer-bassist Paul Backburn, drummer Olly Peacock and guitarist-keyboardist Tom Gray rotated around them switching instruments depending on the song. Backburn specifically shone bright like an expert utility infielder, moving from bass to keys to percussion and even to a melodica.
Set list
The music expertly shifted back and forth between mellow mood and dance party throughout the show as the band mixed in sing-along fan favorites like “See the World” with older songs—like “Whippin’ Piccadilly” and a stellar “Tijuana Lady”—and new cuts—like “Airstream Driver” (Ball sang the kazoo parts as they’d been left on the bus) and “Sunset Gates.” While most of the tunes were pretty tight, the band took time to jam out “Pin One Down” with a great flourish of guitars working together, separately and together again. The three-song encore, the crowd-pleasing “We Don’t Know Where We’re Going,” “Sunset Gates” and “How We Operate” sent the audience, smiling, out into the calm, still Monday night. —R. Zizmor
