With just minutes left before final sign-in, Susie’s erupted with emotion and community, as students sang their hearts out to Dancing Queen by ABBA. Last Friday and Saturday, Goose & Moose, a jazz/pop band composed of ten student musicians, performed the annual Den Show at Susie’s. The tradition began four years ago with a group called Funk Band, and has since been carried on by groups like the Repercussions and Goose & Moose.
For Goose & Moose, song selection is a vital process for the performance. According to organizer Brandon Fu ’25, the set list begins as a long list of “dream songs” that is condensed and improved over several months.
“Song selection is a months-long process. We start with a long list of dream tunes people want to play. That list gets narrowed down until we have a solid core of 30 or so songs. We rehearse, listen repeatedly, get our parts down, figure out chords for improvisation, change up the form, and memorize those forms. It’s an intentional process. The Den Show is an intentional event we try to make as amazing and fun for the student body as possible,” said Fu.
In addition to their extensive song selection process, Goose & Moose rehearses thoroughly in preparation for their upcoming performances. Trumpet player Jacob Gruenich ’27 explained that their schedule was especially difficult for uppers, who had to balance other commitments with rehearsals.
“Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, we had rehearsals from eight to nine-ish. Just the number of rehearsals was definitely challenging. On top of it being Spring Term, a lot of our band are Uppers, so I can speak for them that they were also going through it. But also extremely rewarding,” said Gruenich.
Beyond core members, Goose & Moose also collaborated with various guest musicians. Fu explained these partnerships as a way to showcase the diversity and talent of musicians on campus, bringing artistic variety to the range of songs they perform.
“Every year, people reach out and ask to perform in the Den Show. We had amazing contributions from Mila Fan ’28, Kamila Garcia ’25, and others. We held rehearsals for them. Other collaborators included Maurice Ntoro ’26 and Kwadjo Adjapong ’27. They played various instruments, such as drums, guitar, and singing. Rehearsing with them was cool. I love my bandmates, but hearing new instruments and new people reminds me of the diversity and talent on this campus,” said Fu.
Nearing the end of the performance, Fu introduced the last two songs, calling it “banger hour.” For Amina Gorman ’26, vocalist for Goose & Moose, these final tunes were the concert’s highlight, with the entire crowd singing along with her.
“The last part of both performances — Brandon called it ‘banger hour.’ That was my favorite part. Everyone was standing up and screaming. It felt like a huge concert. At first, I was singing to everybody, but toward the end, I was singing with everybody. That was super fun,” said Gorman.
As a senior member and long-time participant of the Den Show, Fu reflected on his role and purpose in performing. Fueled by his goal to leave a meaningful legacy, Fu focused on the details. He attributed this realization to his friend and fellow band member Ethan Liu ’26.
“I’m not trying to make a mark, but leave something meaningful at this campus. Ethan showed me that legacy is in the little things, the details. Following those details helped me stay motivated. That’s how we pulled off this incredible feat,” said Fu.
