Modest Mouse
The Glass House
10/4/13
Waiting a few extra minutes for a headlining band is always gonna be part of the concert-going experience. It's certainly something Modest Mouse fans are used to. But in a crowd of sardine-packed twentysomethings at the Glass House on Friday, 30 extra minutes seemed like forever. After pumping out fog and playing thunderstorm background music over the speakers, the crowd showed their restlessness up until the point they were vocally angry when the 10:15 p.m. headliner didn't take the stage until about 10:45 p.m. Not always known for their bedside manner when it comes to their fans, Modest Mouse puts on shows for themselves, not playing their most popular songs or caving to what the fans desire. But as annoyed as people might've been in the pit below, there were more than a few times when it was clear that the sentiment between the audience and the band was mutual.
Vocalist and songwriter for the band Isaac Brock made repeated remarks at how terrible the crowd was at the Glasshouse last friday night. “That's good, I'm glad you can name our songs” he said when fans shouted at him titles like “Cowboy Dan” and the ever popular “Float On” which almost they refuse to play these days. However, fans kept the requests coming. This prompted Brock to respond “Do you have any idea how much I hate requests?!” about halfway into their set and really kept the mood for the whole night at about 75%.
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Looking past some of the issues with the fans there were some high points of the show. The band played my personal favorite song “Trailer Trash” and attempted to play another favorite of mine, “Broke,” but stopped halfway through because they messed it up. As usual Brock wasn't able to pull off the softer notes that built the following of the band in it's early years.
Within the duality that is Modest Mouse, there are songs that define both sides of their sound. There is the prettier, softer side that seemed to run seamlessly with the noisier side on albums like The Lonesome Crowded West but became more distinct and polarizing as the band released more albums.
After noting that they would come back and everyone should hangout, 15 minutes past before Modest Mouse came back to play five songs as their encore. After playing for nearly two full hours and putting up with a terrible crowd, they ended the show on a loud, exciting note with tracks like “Dance Hall” and “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” that highlighted the best of their manic sound which salvaged the energy of a show that toes the line between fulfilling and frustrating the entire night.
Overheard Quote: “If they don't come on stage soon I'm going to run up there and do the worst “Float On” cover ever.”
The Crowd : Annoyed both Isaac Brock and this reviewer.
Setlist:
The Whale Song
3rd Planet
Fly Trapped in a Jar
Ocean Breathes Salty
Trailer Trash
Dark Center of the Universe
The View
Cowboy Dan
Dashboard
This Devil's Workday
Spitting Venom
Broke
Custom Concern
Satin in a Coffin
Encore:
Interstate 8
All Night Diner
Shit In Your Cut
Dance Hall
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
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