By: Michele Koury
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| Modest Mouse - Publicity Photo |
Modest Mouse, everyone’s favorite joyfully pessimistic philosophers, swept through town again, providing a hearty evening of entertainment for most of the indie kids of Minneapolis, as well as a portion of the city’s stoners, who were celebrating the renowned date of April 20 with vigor. Modest Mouse has achieved considerable commercial success, which explains the full (though not sold out) theatre, while venerably maintaining their organically weird sound and poetically remarkable lyrics, thus unceasing indie credibility, which explains who filled the theatre.
I respect Modest Mouse for what they’ve accomplished as a band: boldly experimenting, staying unique, working through emotional turbulence—but also doing what’s necessary to stay on the radar (lending songs to commercials, etc) and being honest about it. Frankly, though, the show’s date caused me to wonder if reputed recovering partier Isaac Brock would observe 4/20 the way I knew that half of his audience would. The thought was amusing, but I was also hoping to enjoy a solid concert without cringing for a wasted lead singer doomed to feel embarrassed in the morning.
As predicted, the crowd was mostly arty urban types donning plaid shirts and cool hats, but there were the occasional dreadlocked and Mohawk-ed floating around as well. The Orpheum was rather stuffy, as it is a formal theatre, but in a way it seemed appropriate that the whimsical Modest Mouse would be playing there. The setting vaguely reminded me of the animated, ironically old fashioned music video for “Float On,” and in that sense the venue selection seemed logical.
The two opening bands, Grand Archives and Love as Laughter, were both good in their own right, though extremely different. The former was vocal-driven, mellow and cheerful, accompanied by delicate foot stomps made by otherwise motionless musicians. The latter was very guitar-driven, moody, and clearly inspired by classic rock, blues, and Modest Mouse. One thing that I appreciated about both was that they were very prompt, and the eager crowd wasn’t forced to wait very long for any music to start.
As soon as Modest Mouse took the stage, I was embarrassed that I’d ever been so melodramatically concerned about Isaac Brock’s state of mind. He was incredibly professional (and sober), playing his guitar with ease and passion and sweet-talking the crowd. The first song they threw themselves into was “Paper Thin Walls,” which was received by a thunderous roar that I didn’t know the sloppy, crazed audience would be capable of. The carefree, stunningly insightful lyrics “Laugh hard, it’s a long way to the bank,” perfectly matched the mood of the evening.
Music legend Johnny Marr seemed pretty pleased to be part of this hip young rock group, and was clearly relishing (though still modest!) his place on the stage in tight pants and a fitted blazer. There were two drummers playing side by side, a controversial idea, but the band pulled it off. The drummers were synchronized and offered an amazing sort of solid, rhythmic energy, both very dynamic musicians. Amps and cases were stacked and lined up in a row behind the band, which may have been an arrangement out of necessity, but was also aesthetically appealing in a systematic way. The thrashing of “Black Cadillacs” attacked the crowd with monstrous passion, and although it would have been more effective if played slower, I was in awe of the abilities of the group.
Although the show started off better than anticipated, I found my attention drifting to some of the drama happening within the crowd—the fragrance of a certain herb was powerfully lingering through the building, and it became clear that people were getting lighter-happy during the show. I pitied the innocent, angelic looking usher who had to fretfully pace the aisles to locate the perpetrators. Everywhere, people were dancing, hugging, kissing, and laughing with delight that even Modest Mouse couldn’t single-handedly induce. I really didn’t realize that the date of a show could so deeply impact the atmosphere of the actual event.
When my focus returned to the men onstage, Brock had entered into a mind blowing guitar solo. He had departed from the controlled chopping typical of the guitars in his other songs, and was forcing the music into a rollercoaster of sensation, at one time even manipulating the strings with his mouth. It truly put me into a trance, with the dutiful help of bright primary colors being splashed on a blank screen behind them, and I found myself swaying alongside my slap happy peers. The lucky difference is, I get to remember this fabulous show clearly in the morning.
Location Info:
Orpheum Theatre
Artist Info: Modest Mouse
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