MODEST MOUSE
July 26, 2003 Austin, Texas-
After a
casual lunch at Casino El Camino turned into a mini-marathon of
story telling, drinking and more drinking, I ended up being
fashionably (four songs) late to the show. I met up with Paul
and his girlfriend Amy again at the show, and they warned me the
place was packed with hippies. Looking around, I noticed all
the tell tale signs: bra-less girls, dancing circles, that annoying
rhythm-less swaying dance catching my eye everywhere I looked.
It was true, Modest Mouse was now big time, and boy, did hippies
love them. It had a deadheadish cult following of devoted believers that has seemingly
grown from nowhere. How times have changed since I saw them
play in '98 at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island.
I had no idea just how much
the religious-like fervor the followers of this once underground band
has grown. It was a bit disconcerting, and the crowd's zeal made
for an all too easy target that lasted throughout the show for Paul and
I, much to Amy's dismay. The band sounded good, the stage filled
to the brim with guitars and hangers on, the crowd filled with the
aforementioned hippies. They ran through a slew of their hits and
the sterling material held its own, blasting through the speakers to add
to the atmosphere of the hot July night.
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Isaac on stage. |
Among the songs they ran through were that
I particularly appreciated were:
3rd Planet,
Bankrupt on Selling,
Never-Ending Math Equation,
Paper Thin Walls,
Cowboy Dan (with a hardcore jam ending with several new verses),
Life of Arctic Sounds, and Interstate 8. When Isaac sang, "And I shout that you're all
fakes", I yelled 'FAKE!' in unison with the other 2,000+ diehards in
attendance. My simple reaction drew a raised eyebrow from Paul
along with a surprised look from Amy, both of whom thought I was in a
completely anti-Mouse mood.
All in all, Modest Mouse sounded great, they are great, but they are a
rock and roll band, and I'd hate to see hippies claim them as one of
their own. Keep the religion in the churches, and save your
lighter for the shows.
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