Chain Yer Dragon: Rick Mitarotonda of Goose
Goose.
Juliana Bernstein photo
In October 2020, amid the shutdown and about halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show at the Smoky Mountain Event Center on the outskirts of Waynesville, a friend turned to me and said with a smile, “You know, we’re probably going to follow this band around for the next few decades, right?”
Nodding in sincere agreement, I sipped my drink and gazed around the massive property.
I took inventory of not only the 375 cars of joyous music freaks pushing up the hill and over the ridge of the fairgrounds, but also the serene and jovial tone of one of the emerging torchbearers of live music.
Coming to fruition in Connecticut in 2014, Goose is a young, incredibly intricate and creatively hungry ensemble, one that resides at the intersection of rock, jam, funk and soul music. It’s wildly catchy and genuinely inclusive. And yet, doesn’t shy away from complex improvisation jams, always in search of the “you had to be there” moments on a nightly basis.
In recent years, Goose has exploded onto the national scene, going from small club shows in its native New England to selling out arenas from coast-to-coast. On June 28, 2025, the ensemble packed out Madison Square Garden in New York City, something that was recently replicated, seeing as the band has already sold-out MSG for a special two-night run on June 19-20.
“We love when people get fired up and yelling [in excitement during the show], this huge pull of energy,” Rick Mitarotonda, lead singer/guitarist for Goose, told me following the Waynesville performance. “But, I’ve started to get more patient and listen and get a little quiet at certain times during the whole thing, which I think, in the long run, is a really good thing for the evolution of the band, the sound and our improvisational language.”
When the popular drive-in series took the lead on the slow reopening of the music industry across America during the pandemic, these shows provided an outlet after seven months of radio silence in the live music realm — sold-out show after show of national touring acts, all eager to perform in real time in front of real faces again.
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Until those outdoor shows started to appear that summer of 2020, most bands during that period had to get creative, with Goose way ahead of the curve, in terms of online streaming and innovative avenues in developing digital content and attracting viewers. Even before the shutdown, Goose was constantly filming and uploading its music for consumption.
“When you’re a young band going out on the road, trying to build a grassroots following one person at a time, word of mouth is the strongest thing. But, if you create a little bit of a buzz [online], people want to find out about the band and see what’s going on,” Mitarotonda said. “It’s video. It’s soundboard recordings [from shows] and studio recordings. Content for [listeners] to go find that exists online. So, at a certain point, it became our goal to create this little world [online] for people to go to.”
Strolling the perimeter of the Smoky Mountain Event Center, an odd, yet familiar feeling came over me, that sense of self that only reveals itself in the sacred, ancient realm of live performance. My life has revolved around concerts since I was in middle school. It’s the place by which I’ve been able to put down deep roots — as a journalist, but more so as an utter music freak.
“There’s a lot of moments where I’m going with ‘it’ or staying in the moment, responding to what needs to get done in that moment [onstage],” Mitarotonda said. “But then I’ll see something online and I realize all these individuals, they’re not just numbers on a page — they’re people out there and they’re coming to [the show]. They know what we’re doing and their lives are affected by it in some way. And I just want to do the best I can to serve that.”
Looking towards the massive stage bordering Route 209 in rural Haywood County, I started to come out of my fog of this “new normal” for society and humanity, at that time and in general. Being in the presence of pure tension and release that resides in the depths of a 20-minute jam, the line between Goose and the audience became blurred by the immense energy radiating from both sides of the microphone.
“You know, it’s a strange thing, but the joy in playing music? It’s a fine line between becoming really proficient at an instrument and maintaining your personal connection to music and your real enjoyment from playing music,” Mitarotonda said. “It’s [remembering] that the instrument is a communication piece [to connect people].”
Want to go?
Renowned jam-rock act Goose will be kicking off its Spring 2026 tour with a special performance at 7 p.m. Friday, April 10, at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville.
The tour will also make stops in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. To note, the ensemble recently released its latest album, “Life at Madison Square Garden,” which celebrates the group selling out the storied venue on June 28, 2025.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit harrahscherokeecenterasheville.com/events-tickets. To learn more about Goose, click on goosetheband.com.
