The Mountain Goats concert: A celebration of early 2000s indie perfection

The Mountain Goats ended their “Rule of Three Tour,” which traveled through nine states and promoted their most recently released album “Jenny From Thebes,” with a concert on Oct. 20 in the McCarter Theater.

The rock opera, released in 2023, is a sequel to the band’s critically acclaimed album “All Hail West Texas.” The new twelve-song album tells the story of a recovering addict named Jenny who opens a ranch house for those seeking shelter from difficult situations. This unique narrative style of songwriting is a defining element of The Mountain Goats.

Formed over 33 years ago, the band, headed by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, first gained fame and notoriety for its “home-recorded” indie music, which contains equally poignant, witty, and sardonic lyrics. Since their first album in 1995, The Mountain Goats have gained legendary underground status, developing a close-knit and devoted fanbase. Yet, the band recently experienced a surge in popularity among new fans with their song “This Year,” whose lyrics “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me” became a liberating anthem for many during the pandemic.

While made famous for their initial low-budget recording sound, the band’s performance at McCarter was far from their humble beginning. Accompanied by members John Wurster on drums and Matt Douglas on multiple instruments, the band’s sound was lush, vibrant, and well-arranged. Darnielle’s inimitable vocals perfectly matched the band’s eclectic mix of folk, rock, jazz, new wave, and blues. Douglas effortlessly switched from instrument to instrument, playing lead guitar, organ, synth, and saxophone, elevating each song’s overall sound. Finally, Wurster’s drums provided structure to the entire performance, easily matching complex rhythms to different musical styles.

The band performed 21 songs, spanning all decades of their extensive discography, which includes 26 albums spanning nearly three decades. My personal favorites include the beautiful “Before I Got There,” whose live version transformed into an almost Peter Gabriel-esque 80s ballad of piano, warm synth, and a cavernous saxophone solo, “Only Thing I Know,” which took part during a span of the concert where Darnielle performed solo, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, and “This Year,” which delivered on its anthemic reputation when the entire crowd clapping and singing along word for word.

One of the most surprising elements of this concert was their use of enhanced production on all the songs. With the addition of synth, bass, and sparkling guitar solos, some songs felt entirely reinvented. For example, the original recording for the concert’s opener, “Elijah,” is more intimate and reserved. In contrast, the live version contained pounding drums and a constellation of delayed electric guitars that created an incredibly cinematic feeling.

The entire night, Darnielle’s range of lyricism was on full display with gut-wrenching lyrics such as, “And I know you’re lyin too … That is about the only thing I know about you,” from “Only Thing I Know,” to comedic lyrics in a soft-rock ballad about a possum whose refrain sings, “All you parasites climb aboard … All you vagabonds, praise the Lord.” While the idea for some of the band’s more idiosyncratic songs may appear borderline ridiculous, Darnielle somehow pulls them off with his equally sarcastic and jubilant execution.

In between songs, Darnielle, with his perpetual grin, delighted his audience with witty remarks about Los Angeles hotels, church, and performing at weddings. By the end of the performance, the packed crowd cheered loudly and happily, clapping in sync with Wurster’s drums.

The night was a celebration of indie music marked by inclusion and the importance of optimism in the face of adversity. This theme was never more evident than during the concert when Darnielle quipped, “My favorite songs are usually from the worst times in my life … because it proves I won.”

Gavin McLoughlin, a member of the class of 2028, is a contributing writer for The Prospect. He can be reached at gm9041[at]princeton.edu.