No one should be forced to follow The Flaming Lips...unless you’re Modest Mouse. When I first saw the order in which these two bands had been lined up, I couldn’t believe the festival had made such an errant mistake. But then I found myself, midway through an illustrious performance by this Northwest treasure, realizing that Isaac Brock can compete with any band, or any other rival frontman (Wayne Coyne is in no way an arch nemesis to Brock, but you get the picture). Brock even caused me to do a double-take when I heard the words, “One of the things I saw today almost brought a tear to my eye,” come out of his mouth. I smiled when he continued, revealing it had been as he watched The Flaming Lips that night.
Modest Mouse truly did put on a helluva show, and it definitely failed to be overshadowed by the previous act’s performance. It also reminded me that they are not just some out-of-the-box rock band. To start, they are masters of mood creation, and that extends to each and every song they play. And it’s easy for a fan to get swept up in their tumbling music as it rolls through tempo after tempo, and style after style. For this set, the band played an ideal collection of songs, opening with “Shit Luck” and proceeding to play three straight from yours truly’s list of personal favorites: “Gravity Rides Everything,” “Dashboard” and “Bukowski.” Everybody was ecstatic to hear “Float On” toward the end, but their choice to close with the sassily macho “Spitting Venom” was near perfect.
Brock brought zero attitude to the festival set, and an almost friendly demeanor, which made me question all those stories I’ve heard of his belligerence in years past. It was fantastic to see and hear Modest Mouse in such great form, and I think that had a lot to do with the expert delivery Brock gave to it.
DOWNLOAD: Modest Mouse - Shit Luck (MP3) or Follow us for more Modest Mouse MP3s (Twitter)
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
thanks so much nadine! probably the best compliment a photog can get!
and thanks for reminding me to embed the video in the post too!
by Steve Benoit on Sun May 20, 2012 at 09.33 am from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
I can’t get over how these photos captured my up close memory of the night.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 11.08 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Or should it be whoever? F my grammar.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Whomever took these photos certainly captured the night!
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.26 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
“Mindkilla” is awesome. I’ve got this music video last week and really impressed through watching every performance particularly “Glass Jar”. Thanks dude. :)
dance contest
by Mark Waugh on Thu May 17, 2012 at 05.54 am from the entry: Gang Gang Dance's Illuminating "Mindkilla"
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
