Modest Mouse, Camper Van Beethoven / Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA / June 18, 2005

I have never seen a good Modest Mouse show. Have you? Allegedly, they happen from time to time. I remember Alex coming back from their show at Irving Plaza a few years ago and being extremely pumped. So when we saw them play a completely lackluster set in Philly last weekend, he was all like WTF happened to these guys? Why are there ten people on stage? Why do all the guitar parts sound watered-down? Why does nobody in this band seem to give two shits about the music they’re playing?

I don’t know, dude. I mean, I fucking love their records so much. “Float On” was my number one single of last year. But they even messed up that song. Whenever I imagine an ideal Modest Mouse concert in my mind, it climaxes with the whole place going crazy and everybody lock-stepping and fist-pumping to the “all right, already, we’ll all float on” part at the end, and the band extends it for five extra minutes of stepping and pumping. But nobody seemed enthusiastic when they dropped it in the middle of their set, least of all the band. I guess they’re probably sick of it by now.

One cool thing: Isaac Brock started almost every song by saying “This song is about…” and then just launching into it.

David Lowery—bitterest man alive? He kept calling the crowd “suburban pussies” and saying stuff like “have you people ever even listened to Modest Mouse before?” and “you people think you’re at a Coldplay show, don’t you?” What snobby indie bullshit. If playing for kids who only know “Float On” bothers you so much, why did you agree to do this tour? Not even “Take the Skinheads Bowling” could get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Check out my snarky review here, with an even snarkier headline courtesy of the Inquirer!