Concert review by Creative Loafing Copy Editor Anthony Salveggi

Last night at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg marked the third time in seven years I’ve seen eclectic pop-meisters They Might Be Giants. And much like my first two experiences, it was thrilling to witness one of my favorite bands bring bushels of energy, wit and bouncy pop songs to a packed venue. But this time out proved slightly different with regard to audience reaction.

The two Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell), backed by an ensemble that included a drummer, bass guitarist and second guitarist, took the stage at 9 p.m. TMBG started its set with “Damn Good Times,” a song I’d never heard before, and had assumed the title must’ve been “Natural Dancer” due to how often it’s repeated. They followed it with what John Flansburgh (the John who wears glasses) called their favorite song to play live, the infectious “Dr. Worm” (“I’m not a real doctor/ But I am a real worm.”)

I must’ve smiled throughout TMBG’s hour-and-45-minute performance, which was packed with great selections — “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal,” “Ana Ng,” “I Palindrome I,” “Twistin’,” “The Mesopotamians,” “New York City,” “Take Out the Trash”— pop jewels that had attendees consistently bobbing their heads. From my vantage point to the left of the stage, near the bar, I could see those nearest me mouthing the words to the songs, lending the evening a sense of shared good times.

Flansburgh’s stage banter was brilliantly hilarious as usual, touching on topics ranging from New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s recent hooker-related infamy to the poor bastards living in the apartments near Jannus who must be “hating their lives right about now.”

But this was the first time I’d been to a TMBG concert in which the crowd didn’t reciprocate the band’s energy. Not that I necessarily fault the audience for this — everyone seemed content to soak up TMBG’s good vibes and sterling tunes, but I wonder if the band felt a little let down. After they left the stage, the musicians quickly returned for the first of two encores, performing “One Dozen Monkeys” and “I’m Impressed.” The crowd was a bit more vocal about getting them to come out for the second and final encore, concluding the evening with a rousing rendition of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” spiced with an amazing extended acoustic-guitar jam by band member Dan Miller.

This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2008.