They're Actual Size, But They Seem Much Bigger to Me

We had a brush with greatness (giantness?) last night in this corner of the Musings community. The wife and I took the kids to the mega-Borders in Tysons Corner for an in-store performance by They Might Be Giants in support of their new childrens' CD/DVD. I'm guessing 3-400 kids of all ages packed into the performance space, hung from bookshelves, and otherwise rocked along as the Giants played a 40-minute set.

I've seen TMBG live 6 or 7 times, but never in such an intimate venue, and never in the company of a gaggle of rugrats. They played a nice mix of stuff, keeping the kids happy with several of their younger-skewing tunes, and reaching out to their other fans with some old faves. The set list, as I remember it, follows:

- Alphabet of Nations
- Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
- Flying V
- Letter Lost & Found
- Particle Man (they made the crowd stand for this one, which they introduced as They Might Be Giants' National Anthem)
- Robot Parade
- Doctor Worm (my daughter's favorite)

I had as much fun as my daughter did, and she was rocking her little self out. After the show, we stood in line to have the Johns autograph the new CD, and I got just a moment with John Linnell while John Flansburgh was taking a picture with my wife and kids. "Thanks for making music fun for all of us," I said, and the shy Giant smiled and thanked me.