WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH: TMBG IN CONCERT

"Why Does the Sun Shine?" asks the title of a popular They Might Be Giants song. Perhaps a better question might be, "Why does the sun shine on TMBG?" One had only to be swept away in the euphoria at the Avalon to realize that the answer is not too hard to find: They Might Be Giants know how to fire up a crowd.

Headed by Lincoln, Mass., natives John Linnell and John Flansburgh and supported by Dan Hickey on drums, Dan Miller on lead guitar and Danny Weinkauf on bass, TMBG have gained near-cult popularity in many college circles. With songs ranging from "Birdhouse In Your Soul" to "I Should Be Allowed to Think," the Giants sport a quirky, tongue-in-cheek style that often delights in the silly, binges on esoteric allusion and has an addictive, sophisticated wit. This, coupled with their knack for writing deliciously catchy melodies, is what makes They Might Be Giants irresistible.

Yet if the energy at Saturday's show was explosive, the group's October appearance on campus at an IOP-sponsored rally was less than stellar. At that performance, the group played to a widely apathetic crowd that seemed to sap energy even from the perpetually wired-and-witty Flansburgh.

None of this at Avalon, where the house was packed and the crowd bounced as if the floor were on fire. If their on-stage antics (complete with flying mike stands) didn't give away their enthusiasm, the group's strong, unified performance sure did.

All of the band's tried-and-true crowd-pleasers were there, in a collection of songs from throughout their nearly 20-year existence. "Particle Man," "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" were all received with riotously rowdy exuberance, although the straightforwardness with which they were performed-the songs sounded much the same in performance as on record-left one longing for more. The few new songs that were included were the true high point of the show and showed that if the Giants can be described in one word, it would be "eclectic." "Boss of Me" and "Your Mom's Alright," two songs off the new "Malcolm In The Middle" soundtrack, pushed TMBG's usual style, taking the emphasis off the lyrics and focusing more on a straight-out rock sound. The latter song, co-written with M. Doughty, former lead singer of Soul Coughing, displayed the band's artful ability to keep its own very distinct flavor while integrating new styles and new players.

Throughout the show, the band's playing was in top form. Linnell, unlike at the IOP performance, hit his signature high notes dead on, and his prowess at the keyboard and accordion shone all night long. Flansburgh delivered as usual with lots of wacky energy on guitar and vocals, while Weinkauf took center stage on songs such as the mischievous and foreboding "Older."

Two surprises were the highlight of the night. The first was a performance of "Fingertips," a collection of wacky and nonsensical musical snippets almost never played in concert-and with lyrics like "I'm having a heart attack," "What's that blue thing doing here?" and "I've found a new friend underneath my pillow," it's no wonder why. Yet Giant-heads being the Fans-of-All-Fans, the crowd sang right along with them, eating up the bit of improvisation at the very end.

The second surprise was pure delight and an unusual departure from the norm-the two Johns sharing center stage on a soulful rendition of Lesley Gore's "Maybe I Know." It was during this number that the entire hall fell silent to hear the lush harmony of the duo's powerful voices, with Linnell's throaty rasp a perfect complement to Flansburgh's depth. So the Giants have a sensitive side after all.

Segueing quickly from one song to the next, the show was done in all of two hours. But in that short time, TMBG proved that they've still got what it takes to make a crowd go wild. And while their musical style has not changed a great deal in several years, the band's on-stage presence has grown tremendously to the point where Flansburgh, Linnell and company are performing more solidly as a unit than ever before. Perhaps an improvised song during the show by the two Johns best captured the Giants' eternal penchant for playfulness:

F: "We've got a song that's just two weeks old! We barely know how to play it!"

L: "Which is why it fits in so well with the rest of our set!"

F: "...And that was just it."

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

at

Avalon

Nov. 18

at

Avalon

Nov. 18