Concert Review: The Mountain Goats, White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ

Indie folk staples The Mountain Goats have rarely been a group to slow down. Throughout their lengthy 34 years as a band, the group has amassed an incredibly supportive fanbase amid an ever changing musical landscape, complete with an ever-evolving discography that never loses the folky magic that makes the band what they are. The trio are currently touring in support of their upcoming record Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, and they made a stop at the Jersey City staple White Eagle Hall on a beautiful Saturday night in October, a prime time to catch the group.

When you have 22 albums under your belt (and a 23rd on the way), it’s impossible to craft a setlist that draws from every nook and cranny of your work. However, The Mountain Goats played an incredibly varied set, drawing from over half of their records. The free-flowing nature of the group and their stripped back stage production left lots of room to play rarities in their discography, including “New Britain” from 1996’s Full Force Galesburg and “The Young Thousands” from We Shall All Be Healed. The group played their staples “This Year” and “No Children” towards the end to much acclaim.

Every member of the group carried a jovial energy with them throughout the night, with singer John Darnielle constantly cracking jokes whenever he wasn’t smiling and singing. At one point, various members of the audience shouted out songs during his solo set, to which Darnielle replied “I can’t hear what you’re saying, I have in-ear monitors.” The audience was engaged with the group for the entire set, but the moment where the excitement hit one of many peaks was on the All Hail West Texas opener “The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out Of Denton,” where it seemed like every person knew every word, culminating in a rapturous “Hail Satan!” at the climax.

The Mountain Goats contain a sense of joy within their sorrowful song matter that comes to full fruition in a live setting. The group makes their way throughout the United States every year, and they do it for the love of playing and connection more than anything else. With a new album to promote coming up soon, the chances they will be in your area soon are quite high, and I cannot recommend catching them enough. You can listen to The Mountain Goats’ vast and lovely discography here.