Detroit is about to get a little weirder … in the best possible way.
They Might Be Giants, the long-running Brooklyn band beloved for brainy lyrics, joyous absurdity and shows that feel equal parts concert and celebration of curiosity, are returning to Detroit for two consecutive nights at the Majestic Theatre, on April 28 and 29.
Billed as “Two Nights with They Might Be Giants,” the Detroit dates are part of the band’s Bigger Show Tour and mark its only area appearances of 2026.
This tour coincides with the release of the group’s 24th studio album, “The World Is to Dig,” which dropped earlier this month after a five-year absence partly caused by injuries co-founder John Flansburgh sustained in a car accident.
“I was in a crazy car accident that laid me up for many months,” Flansburgh told the Free Press. “My Uber car got hit by a drunk driver who was driving, like, a million miles an hour down Park Avenue in New York City in the middle of the night. We had just done our first show after the COVID pandemic kind of let up, and so that was a setback.
“We did take our time with this [album] a little bit. … We thought we were finished and then decided to go back and do some extra tracks and [replace] some other songs. Usually, that’s always for the better. We probably replaced three songs, and it definitely made the batting average of the record stronger.”
Two nights, two different shows
True to form, They Might Be Giants won’t be doing things the standard way. Each Detroit show promises to be entirely different, with no opening act, two full sets, and an expanded eight-piece lineup featuring a three-horn section.
The first set each night will spotlight a different album, while the second set will pull freely from across the band’s sprawling catalog, from early favorites to newer material released this year. In other words: If you go both nights, you won’t be hearing the same show twice.
“We make things kind of hard on ourselves professionally,” said Flansburgh, “because we change the repertoire very actively. We’re doing multi-night stands in all these cities and, like, in Indianapolis, we’re playing three shows and they’ll be three very different shows.
“It takes a lot of rehearsal and it takes a lot of real commitment to memorizing a lot of stuff, which is kind of a pain, but also, we’ve all seen a band start out on a nation tour, and they’re in their hometown and they’re doing the first show. It’s really exciting, and then six months later, they come back for the return show and they’re doing the same set and they’re completely exhausted and they’re totally bored with themselves.
“We are aware of that problem, and we face it head on and just say: ‘You know what, we’re going to make sure that this show feels really new to us every single night.’ It’s extremely helpful. It’s more of a challenge, but it’s also way more entertaining.”
A band that refuses to slow down
Now well into its fourth decade as a touring and recording band, They Might Be Giants shows no signs of coasting on nostalgia. Best known for songs that blur the line between pop hooks and playful intellectualism, the group has earned multiple Grammy Awards and cultivated an audience that spans generations.
In a city that appreciates cleverness, grit and doing things a little differently, They Might Be Giants’ mix of wit and musical precision feels right at home.
“We’re excited to be playing Detroit,” Flansburgh said. “Our very last shows before the pandemic were in Detroit, and they were incredible fun. It was a reminder that it’s always great to be in that world.”
Whether you’re a longtime fan who can recite lyrics from “Flood” by heart or someone curious to see what an “evening with” They Might Be Giants actually feels like, Detroit is about to get two nights of proof that smart, strange rock music still knows how to throw a great party.
They Might Be Giants
7 p.m. April 28 & 29
Majestic Theatre
4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit
$47.69 & up
majesticdetroit.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: They Might Be Giants bringing 2 nights of rock band weirdness to Detroit
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
