They Might Be Giants Bring Chicago a Witty, High-Energy Vic Theatre Run That Blends Old Favorites With New Songs
CHICAGO, IL — They Might Be Giants turned Friday night at the Vic Theatre into a comic, fast-moving showcase that felt equal parts concert and inside joke. The band’s first of three Chicago shows gave fans a set packed with longtime favorites, newer material and the kind of offhand stage banter that has helped define the duo for decades.
Co-founders John Flansburgh and John Linnell still lead the group with sharp timing and an easy command of the room. Even when Flansburgh paused to check notes near his amplifier, Linnell’s dry reply made clear the band was operating exactly as planned.
A 40-year catalog still lands like a punch line and a singalong
The show leaned on material from the band’s early years, including songs from the 1988 album Lincoln and the college-rock staple “Ana Ng.” But the audience also responded strongly to newer work from The World to Dig, the group’s 24th album, released in April.
That balance mattered. Flansburgh joked about the idea of playing new songs for a legacy-act crowd, then watched the fresh material hold its own. A cover of the Raspberries’ “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” and the absurdist single “Wu-Tang” both drew attention for their harmonies, melodies and tight band interplay.
The Vic show became a showcase for brass, banter and wildly elastic arrangements
Three horn players expanded the band’s sound throughout the night, pushing familiar songs into new territory. Saxophone, trumpet, euphonium and trombone added swing, brass-band lift and extra comic punch to performances of “Cowtown,” “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” “Particle Man” and other favorites.
The stage banter was nearly a second act of its own. Flansburgh joked about splitting the concert into two sets and serving as the band’s own opening act, while also riffing on Chicago sports, museum visits and the crowd’s glasses-to-beards ratio. The jokes landed because the music stayed nimble and precise.
Chicago fans got a reminder that the duo’s offbeat spark still feels fresh
By the time the band closed with “Doctor Worm,” the room had been through brass flourishes, psychedelic detours, novelty snatches and crowd singalongs. That breadth is part of why They Might Be Giants continue to feel durable rather than nostalgic.
The Chicago run still had more to come, with Sunday tickets available at the time of writing. For fans, the Vic performance suggested the band remains a reliable live act: playful, musically disciplined and still able to turn absurdity into something surprisingly exuberant.
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