seeing they might be giants after 10 years of fan-dom...

click to skip the backstory

so, i saw they might be giants on the 25th of April.
a short(LONG) tale to get you in my headspace. i got into tmbg in September of 2017 when i was twelve years old, just a few months away from turning 13. it changed my perspective on creativity irrevocably. after that initial listen of flood, my first tmbg album, i listened to every album i could. i was obsessed. later in 2018, i like fun came out, and tmbg were doing a tour to promote it. they hit all around the Midwest and even in my city, but the venue they picked for my city was the vogue. 21 plus. i was freshly 13 and had no chance of getting in there for another few years. but there was an all ages show in Chicago, and ann arbor. Chicago didn't work out. i got tickets to ann arbor. i counted down the days, and the day of i took a shower and got ready. at the last minute, mom says we cant make it to ann arbor. this was the first disappointment of my teen years, which would become a collection of many. i was so miserable. i was obsessed with them. a fragile, lonely, sensitive 13 year old mind who only cared about two things, john flansburgh and john Linnell. i laid in fetal position on my couch and i wailed in front of my mom and brother for ages. i was inconsolable.

after that horrible disappointment, it just kept happening with other things. my best friend got to see them twice. and though they didn't intend to, it got rubbed in my face. i wanted to die. they got an accordion for Christmas that year. my parents were living paycheck to paycheck and i would stalk accordions on facebook market place day in and out. in 2019, i finally got to see someone i loved. the aquabats. but they aren't tmbg. in 2021, i was supposed to see sparks. i got the tickets. last minute, i couldn't make it. everyone i knew that year saw them. everyone. i had to beg people to not talk about it in front of me. there were times i was so angry at my friends for seeing them i wanted to throw up. another disappointment on the pile.

tmbg came back to indy at the old national, an all ages venue, soon after the sparks upset. i couldn't make it. my mom was at risk of getting sick and we had to pay rent. the tickets sold out by the time we could've afforded them. once again, i gave up.

in 2024, weird al tickets went on sale for Indianapolis. i was psyched but so scared. but i knew nothing would happen if i didn't take charge of my own joy. i asked my parents for tickets. the months went by, and on the third of July in 2025, i saw weird al Yankovic live. i bawled my eyes out and it was the happiest i had been that whole year. around the end of 2025, guess whose tickets went on sale?

tmbg comes back to Indianapolis, at the vogue. the venue i couldn't go to when i was 13. i was freshly 21. after weird al, more ready than ever to finally see the two men i wanted to see from the very beginning. the only ones who truly mattered. of course i secured tickets, thank you mom and dad, but it was to be seen if i could make it. and just a day or so ago, i woke up on the 25th and did my makeup, put on my show outfit, and danced around my house nervously waiting as the clock got closer and closer. i made it to the venue. when security sorted out our line, i was right in front of the door and first inside. i was right at the barricade.

well, how'd the show go?

i got in line about 3 hours before doors opened. i had my parents spend around 40 on each ticket, so 80 bucks together for my mom and i. i was not about to have them spend 80 bucks on a show i cant even see. lucky me, i got sorted straight to the front and was the second person to get into the building at all. i sat front and center right on the barricade and waited the exruciating hour for them to get on. time went by so slowly. i talked to the folks i was next to and scrolled on my phone and just. waited. it felt like it was an eternity. outside the venue was worse however as the sun beat down right on the strip we all lined up on. many thanks to sarrah and her husband for getting my mom and i sunscreen! my mom has lupus which is an illness that inflames your organs, so i thought the worse and knew she needed some, as did i. had we not gotten the sunscreen, we wouldve cooked like bacon. the line outside was great and friendly though and i got a lot of fun freebies from the fans. including jeremy allen white glasses from someone by the name of dax tara, for us all to put on during birdhouse. which we did!

now, the johns finally come out. my hearts beating. im seeing them all and i have to keep reminding myself its not a picture. the men ive spent 10 years staring at on screens, theyre right there. they sure were as pretty as a picture. they busted straight into subliminal, which is the first song they rang out with on the documentary Gigantic. i lost my mind screaming. i couldnt think straight. the whole time waiting i expected to immediately start crying, but i was so flabberghasted and astonished i couldnt cry. i was too busy processing it all. subliminal sounded amazing. seeing linnell with his accordion was unbelievable. the legendary main squeeze. i have dozens of pictures of him with the main squeeze on my pc, and now its right here.

now, here comes the banter. if you arent completely familiar with tmbg, they are notorious for stage banter. they are often so witty and so funny, it sometimes feels like youre watching not just a rock show, but a comedy one as well. flans mentioned a guitar center he went to in indy sucked, and they were kinda mean to him! he says he told them he has to spend 200 dollars there, they respond with "ha, okay buddy!" that killed me and i immediately knew they were going to make me laugh like crazy that night. i was still processing it was them at all. that it was all real. linnell pipes in and mentions what hes been doing in indy, and that he went to the newfields museum! ive never been, its around white river park. admission is like 20 bucks, so i doubt id go anyways but one of these days. he also mentioned benjamin harrison, a former president, is buried nearby. he says, "some of you might know that, but most of you do not." his delivery was very funny. it was the least surprising thing to hear from him that night, but it being so expected from him made it all the more delightful.

at some point before, during, or after the banter, dan and danny were smiling and laughing with eachother. i wish i got a photo! they were positively beaming! it was very adorable. after subliminal, flans announced to everyone tonight was dedicated to JOHN HENRY. john henry isnt a favorite of mine, but i still love it. hearing him speak those words, i couldnt control myself. i screamed so goddamn loud, i heard myself the next morning in someones recording, it sounded like i was being strangled. i was that excited.

then, here came snail shell. this one has been a favorite of mine since i got into tmbg and its one of my favorites off john henry. i heard that first note and immediately lost my mind. jumping, using the barricade as leverage to get as high as i could, screaming, stomping, shouting the lyrics until my voice was hoarse. it was about to be a real long night.

its important to stress that the vogue's stage is ridiculously small. its just big enough to hold all five of the tmbg band along with 3 extra brass players. and they were all unbelievable. flans found plenty of chances to move around despite how small the stage was. there were times where a member would get so close to the barricade, i could touch them. the saxophone player got close to me so many times i could see my face in his saxophone. he gave me a lot of very kind grins. i put heart hands up towards the horn players during one song, because they were just so brilliant that night. the trumpet player touched his chest to show his appreciation.

i couldnt keep my eyes off linnell, often times i had a hard time figuring out where to look, but i would just eventually gravitate towards him. hes my favorite. i love them all, so so much. i could get excited about any of them. but linnell has a special place in my heart, and he was the one i was nearest to. he would smile at flans' jokes or the solos the others did. he would make very calculative faces down at his keyboard, and he'd scope his eyes all over the crowd slowly. he would focus on me, then the rest of them. i locked eyes with him so many times! which was something i was looking forward to bcs so many people have said hes done it to them. hes a big looker, and i think he just likes having something to focus on when singing and playing. i have a hard time keeping eye contact in my daily life. not with him. every time we locked eyes it felt like i would burst, but i didnt look away. i didnt want to.

right after snail shell was another john henry, out of jail. this isnt a big fave of mine, but i was glad to hear it anyway and of course i sung along. then came meet james ensor. someone i met in line, sarrah, had said that she really wanted to hear this one. when i heard the first note, i grabbed her arm to show that i was happy for her. how huge!!! then came the famous polka, which made me LOSE. MY. MIND. i love the famous polka, especially in recent years because i greatly associate it with the lone gunmen from the x files, who i adore. they didnt sing the very short lyrics from it, which made me a bit sad, but thats okay!

after the famous polka, i believe there may have been a bit of banter and introducing the songs from the latest album. flans implied the crowd would be disappointed by hearing new songs, but it was clearly far from it. he was just being quite modest i feel. they broke out with wu tang. now i needed to warm up to wu tang, and i still kinda do, but when the album finally came out i realized how great it is. it is quite standard linnell pop, but still very special. the lyrics are so meaningful to me. because i relate with them. not as a wu tang fan, but as a fan of musicians in general. seeing linnell sing those lyrics, looking in his eyes. i cried. i bawled my eyes out. this was my first cry of the show. i couldnt control it. i looked at him through blurry, watery eyes. i sobbed. the lyrics went through me and embraced me. that song is how i feel about they might be giants. thats what they are to me. i hope linnell was able to see me and understand just how much i loved and appreciated his song.

then came overnight sensation! this ones a cover but i still loved it, and still sung every damn lyric! it was so awesome to hear and flans and linnell both sound so so great on it. following this one was synopsis for latecomers, which is from the last album. i was PSYCHED as i didnt expect ANYTHING from book. i like book, not as much as world is to dig, but it has some great tracks. is synopsis what i wouldve wanted from book? maybe not. but it was still great to hear. the brass players came out during this one and were just great. i think after this, came some more banter i cant recall. then flans announced a song they had never played in indy until now. S-E-X-X-Y. oh my god. it was completely out of left field. i was aghast. shocked! s-e-x-x-y isnt a big favorite for me or anything, but i still love it a lot and hearing it live was unimaginable for me. i danced the whole time and sang every lyric! AS USUAL!

after s-e-x-x-y came another song i cried over. dirt bike. ive found a new love for dirt bike in recent years, and it means a lot to me. its calmed me in some rough moments entering my early adulthood. i cry to it anyways, so hearing it live and realizing what it was...all the emotions overcame me. i sobbed through every lyric. im still so fortunate i got to hear it and i really hope someone recorded it that night, because i wanna hear it again!!!!!

the next songs were no one knows my plan, which i lost it at, spy, which was electrifyingly fun, birdhouse which also made me cry as its a very sentimental and emotional song to me, stellub which is fun but i wish it was just the original song...and end of the tour, which i cried again at! end of the tour makes me think of michael mckean because he did the lyric reading for it in gigantic. hes one of my favorite actors, and he gave me a newfound apprecation for the song. and by itself, its just such a beautifully emotional song.

during end of the tour, flans approached the barricade with two things in his hand. a signed copy of john henry, and a signed copy of world is to dig. he lasered in on me and the person next to me and handed us the records. i got world is to dig, the person beside me got john henry. i screamed and lost it, i cant even remember what i said. definitely a loud "OH MY GOD THANK YOU" i grasped the album immediately like it was a family members ashes. i was so fucking happy. with that, the second set ended and we sat around waiting a bit more. i talked with the person i made friends with in line, got a few "congratulations!" from folks in the crowd, and then they came back out

first came the reversed stellub video, then they rushed back in with istanbul. (or dan-stanbul, as they write on the set list. as dan levine comes out with a CRAZY brass solo in the intro!)

at first it was just dan levine and linnell, playing alongside eachother. then iirc the other three brass players came out with a loooong solo. all in all i think istanbul ended up 10 minutes long with all the solos they had. it was amazing. i couldnt stop smiling, cheering. i was exhilirated. it was mindblowing and beautiful and sounded great.

after istanbul came authenticity trip. i was wanting to hear this so bad since i bought the tickets. they play this a LOT at shows and its how i became familiar with it (as i still havent heard album raises.) so i was hedging my bets on them playing it. when i heard the first few notes ring out, i shouted "ITS AUTHENTICITY TRIP, OH MY FUCKING GOD, ITS AUTHENTICITY TRIP" looking around me so everyone knew ITS AUTHENTICITY TRIP!!! i was so excited to hear it and it sounded so great. SOMEDAY ILL WIN, IM NOT ICHABOD CRANE!!!!!

soon after we got brontosaurus, which i was SO fucking psyched about because its one of my favorites on BOOK. then they broke into man, its so loud in here. there was this beautiful light effect where during the quieter portions of the song, they shone a light on just linnell and the rest of the stage was dark. he looked beautifully ethereal. the photos i took of it do not do it justice. afterwards they played eyeball, which i had only heard once before. i really enjoyed hearing it though and i love flans' vocals on it. he sounds very pretty on it.

then came more new songs! flans introduced hit the ground (im listening to that right now!) by saying its one of the "sadder" songs on the record. i got disappointed hearing this because i expected lets fall in lava or sleeps older sister. i dont care for lets fall in lava and i like sleeps older sister but wouldnt have lost it hearing it live. but instead it was hit the ground, which i LOVEEEE!!!!!! i immediately yelled "I LOVE THIS FUCKING SONG" it was so awesome to hear it live and im glad they chose it!! after hit the ground was damn good times. OH. MY. GOD.

i lost my fucking mind, damn good times has stomping and jumping and clapping written all over it so i couldnt stop moving!!!!! even though i wanted so badly to bcs i was so exhausted by now! it sounded so fucking good and everyone sung along. during the chorus, EVERYONE was yelling "DAMN! GOOD! TIIIMES!" it was electrifying. and flans solo during it was FUCKING. AMAZING. OH MY GODDD.

afterwards was STUFF IS WAY. this song has recently gained fame and notoriety in fandom spaces online which i havent really liked since outsider tmbg fans never seem to really appreciate them or understand them. stuff is way is one of my favorite tmbg songs and has been since i got into them, so i have this weird possessive attitude over it. regardless i was very excited to hear it and screamed my head off. flans did this hilarious and amazing effect where he stepped on the side of the stage and put his mouth up to a camera with flash, the camera then projected his mouth onto the screen on stage. during linnells verses he was just chomping his teeth, but during the backing he sung along. i loved the part where instead of saying "i yes you would" he said "oh YES you would!" it was so funny and the vibes were off the hook as always with him. i could see him from where i was standing and he looked so silly back there.

after stuff is way came the real deal. cloisonne. cloisonne has been my favorite tmbg song for years and one of my favorite songs in general. i dont fucking play about cloisonne. so of course, i lost my fucking mind. my voice was already thrown out by now, but i could not control my screaming. i was so. fucking. excited. i sung along to every lyric and didnt get any photos during it because its FUCKING CLOISONNE!!!!!!!!!

how can i sing like a girl came up next which was a pleasant surprise, i was listening to it on the car ride there! how can i sing like a girl isnt a big favorite of mine, but when they broke into it i looked at myself, and looked at all the fem presenting people around me and smiled. in that moment it felt like flans' love letter to all of his fem fans. a lot of us up front were fem presenting. it just felt very communal, like we were being seen. i loved it.

when will you die came, which was amazing. afterwards came a song i was DYING TO HEAR and was worried wouldnt come!!! GET DOWN!!!!!!!!11 get down is my FAVORITE off the new album and i love it SO. FUCKING. MUCH. i was dying to hear it and when it broke out i abused my throat even more than it already was. GET DOWN, MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRRRR. get down was the end of set 2, and they walked out.

we all started to clap rhythmically, and after a few minutes. the band came back out for the first encore. doctor worm! a classic encore song but always welcome. it jolts you to life. its serendipitous. i almost had an asthma attack in 2018 dancing to it in my room. now i was here, on asthma meds, dancing to it and able to breathe lol. i held the extended note at the end longer than linnell! it was very painful however. but worth it. the second encore was she's an angel. we all went "one more song! one more song! one more song!" and flans comes back out saying "no more songs. no more songs. crowd go home." his pleading did not work.

shes an angel was so unexpected and blew me the hell away. i couldnt believe thats what they chose for the final encore. it was amazing. so amazing to hear live. and once it ended, so did the show. everyone headed backstage except for marty, who began his nightly routine of hand outs. i didnt get anything because i already got one from flans himself! i wanted a setlist really bad, but i didnt want to be greedy. the person beside me did get one though! marty was so sweet and even accepted from zines from that person earlier in the show.

and just like that in a blink of an eye, my first tmbg show was over. my life irrevocably changed. unable to move where i stood. sad i had to say goodbye. yesterday, the post concert depression was awful. you never want to leave the band. you want them to be there forever. its not that you want to be at the venue, you want to be at the show. you want to be at the band. you want to be at the MUSIC. just dont leave me, you know? why do you have to leave? its so painful. i never want to end. i hope so badly i get to see them again one day. i want nothing more. i wish i could just lock myself away in tmbg forever, but life doesnt work that way. its not fair.
note: i took about 60 useable good photos. ill post them here, whenever i figure out how to code a gallery. be on the look out for that!