Geese honor Television guitarist Richard Lloyd with poignant onstage tribute: “Rest in peace”
Cameron Winter paid his respects to the late guitarist before the band launched into a cover of “Ain't That Nothin'” on the day Lloyd died
Geese have honored Television guitarist Richard Lloyd following his death, performing a cover of the band's 1978 song “Ain't That Nothin'” during a November 7 concert in Philadelphia.
“Rest in peace, Richard Lloyd,” frontman Cameron Winter told the crowd at the Fillmore before the band launched into a brief rendition of the Television classic. Lloyd died earlier that day, aged 75, at his home in Tennessee following a battle with cancer.
The performance came after Geese played their own song “2122,” with the band retaining much of the upbeat instrumental arrangement of Television's original. Winter, however, brought a darker, more brooding quality to the song with his distinctive vocal delivery, giving the punk-rock classic a different character.
It wasn't the first time Geese had paid homage to the New York punk pioneers. In 2024, Winter and company used their Geesefest residency to perform another Television favorite, “Marquee Moon,” the title track from the band's landmark 1977 debut album.
Geese have also acknowledged the similarities between the two groups. Speaking to GQ in 2025, the band welcomed comparisons to their fellow New York rockers, while Winter was mindful of making sure their guitar riffs didn't come across as a “rip off” of Television songs such as “Guiding Light.”
The November 7 show was the first of two consecutive nights Geese had scheduled at the Fillmore. They returned to the Philadelphia venue on Sunday and are due to continue their 2026 North American tour with two shows in Boston on Tuesday, November 10.
Lloyd's death followed news in August that he had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer. Television had appealed to fans for financial support to help cover the cost of his treatment.
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His passing comes less than four years after Television frontman Tom Verlaine died in January 2023, aged 73. The band's bass guitarist, Fred Smith, also died earlier this year, in February, aged 77.
Among those paying tribute to Lloyd following the news were Johnny Marr, whose guitar playing with the Smiths was heavily influenced by Television, and fellow musician Lloyd Cole.
Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of GuitarPlayer.com and the former editor of Guitar Player, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.