Modest Mouse Turns Back the Clock at the Anthem

By Sofia Errichetti 

Modest Mouse drew a largely homogenous crowd to The Anthem on October 18th, which I observed as I entered the storied venue. As the opener, Built to Spill, played their set, the spotlights illuminated many thirty-something-year-old men enjoying the band and a $10 beer in reusable cups. Built to Spill’s performance was impassioned and cohesive. The group’s lineup changes every album, save frontman Doug Martsch. Melanie Radford has featured on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums since 2019, and the two were part of the band for its 2022 release, When the Wind Forgets Your Name. Their playing complemented Martsch’s characteristic vocals–deliberate, high-pitched, and well-suited to the indie rock genre that the group inhabits. The crowd was noticeably invested in and energized by Built to Spill’s performance, and their lengthy set made the concert feel more like a double-header than a traditional opener/main act split. 

The stage setup for Modest Mouse reflected the group’s interest in experimental and production-heavy music as of late–strips of futuristic-looking lighting that mimicked a lava lamp’s movement were the minimal decorations. When the group came onstage, though, there was scarcely enough space for all the musicians. Frontman Isaac Brock was accompanied by an upright bass, a bass guitar, keyboard, two drumsets, and a guitar. The group’s experience playing together was evident in the musical arrangement of the set. Most songs ended multiple minutes after Brock finished singing, and the audience was able to enjoy the unfiltered cohesion of the band playing off of one another. 

The main set consisted of Modest Mouse’s 2000 release, The Moon & Antarctica, played in its entirety and in order. This formative album was not entirely familiar to the majority of the crowd. However, Brock kept the audience engaged with quips in between songs and a jokingly-begun cover of a fake song he referred to as “Peace, Love, and Hippy Shit,” which he remarked was based off of lyrics sung by The Dead Milkmen. The band also demonstrated its sense of humor with a cover of a John Williams arrangement from the movie Jaws.

What the concert lost in audience engagement with the material it gained back in the natural cohesion of the set. The thematic elements of the album shone, especially on little-known songs such as “I Came As a Rat” and “Wild Packs of Family Dogs,” where Brock was able to demonstrate his enviable storytelling abilities. The first and last songs of the main set, “3rd Planet” and “What People Are Made Of,” were two of the most climatic moments, being the

most up-tempo and well-known songs. Brock’s voice on these songs took center-stage, as he used his raw talent to convey the emotional core of the album. 

When Modest Mouse returned for an encore, the crowd was excited to hear some popular releases from other albums. Most notably, the group’s 2004 hit, “Float On,” was energizing and injected some participation from the crowd into the group’s performance on the night. “Fly Trapped In a Jar” was the final song of the night. It was a demonstrative choice: the song is not a hit, but it enabled Modest Mouse to showcase the cohesion, vulnerability, and confessional-style storytelling that’s made the group a force to be reckoned with for over thirty years.