Seeing Modest Mouse live has been a dream of mine for years. I found myself finally getting the opportunity and headed out to Columbus, Ohio to see my dream fulfilled on the final date of their six show tour. The concert was held at L.C. Pavilion amphitheater downtown and the weather couldn’t have been better for an outdoor show.
TalkDemonic was the opening act: a two piece featuring a drummer and a female violinist who also played a bit of electronic keyboard. They are signed to Isaac Brock’s own label, Glacial Pace. They played an interesting and beautiful set, but the crowd was anxious for the headliner.
After a brief intermission just long enough for a beer break, my favorite band of all time took the stage. They started with “Missed the Boat,” and then went into a new song, “The Whale Song.” The crowd really fired up once they started playing “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes.”
Girls were being led away from the pushing, shoving, dancing crowd by their boyfriends who were trying to shield their girls from crowd surfers being tossed around overhead. Instead of fleeing the chaos, more enthusiastic fans embraced the craziness and joined in the fun, creating the coolest crowd I have ever been a part of.
Offers of “you want up?” surrounded me as the atmosphere inspired the music lovers around me. The set continued with songs including “Satin in a Coffin,” “Fly Trapped in a Jar,” “Cowboy Dan,” and, of course, “Float On.” They finished with “The View,” leaving the crowd with an unquenched energy.
The crowd called for an encore. “One more song!” everyone chanted. The stage stayed dark, but no one was taking “no,” for an answer. Lighters were pulled out and there was a sea of tiny flames in devoted offering.
After a few more minutes of suspense, the band took the stage again. Isaac Brock told an anecdote about how someone was so desperate to be at the concert, they dug a hole under the fence in an attempt to tunnel into the venue.
Modest Mouse finished up with not just one, but six more songs and the crowd went positively rowdy in appreciation. The band continued the show with “Gravity Rides Everything,” and finally ended with “Shit Luck,” which both surprised and thrilled me.
I hope that the fact a few new songs were played throughout the set is foreshadowing of a new album in the works. I was never more impressed with a live show and I had the time of my life. My favorite band certainly did not disappoint my expectations, but exceeded them to a degree I never could have fathomed. Between the band, the music and the crowd, it truly was a perfect concert.
