On September 18, Modest Mouse brought the energetic indie rock of the An Eraser and a Maze Tour to the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Robber Robber started the night with an impressive 30-minute set covering songs from both of their albums, including this year’s Two Wheels Move the Soul. The Burlington, Vermont quartet played with a garage-rock grime and the discordant noise of Sonic Youth. Guitarist Nina Cates muttered in a droning voice over her propulsive power chords while guitarist Will Krulak played squealing harmonics and noisy string bends. Bassist Carney Hemler and drummer Zack James anchored the songs with thick, mid-tempo grooves. Robber Robber filled the brief set with memorable hooks and left the crowd wanting more.
It was then Modest Mouse’s turn to wow the closely packed crowd. The House of Blues has a capacity of 2,600, and at least that many people were packed shoulder to shoulder with little room to move about, eager to hear their favorite songs from the Portland indie icons. Modest Mouse met those high expectations with a dynamic set spanning the band’s 33-year career.
All of the Modest Mouse signatures were there in ample supply — the atypical rhythms, the dissonant guitar riffs, the infectious pop hooks, and frontman Isaac Brock’s unique rhythmic vocals. From the opening notes of “Third Side of the Moon,” the band established the eccentric tone of the evening. Brock’s wiry guitar tone, mixed with Seth Jabour’s guitar licks, and Russell Higbee’s thumping bass were anchored by Damon Cox’s drumming that took the song from slow and plodding to fast and heavy, then back again.
The best Modest Mouse songs are built around propulsive but odd rhythms, winding song structures, and Brock spitting out rapid-fire, poetic lyrics, and the set had enough of those songs to keep things on a high level. The loud/soft dynamics of “Bury Me With It” and the frantic, jagged riffs and danceable groove of “Fly Trapped in a Jar” were highlights. Brock performed with a frenzied energy, shouting lyrics in an impassioned wail while attacking his guitar strings.
Between songs, Brock goofed around and told stories. At one point, he crouched at the front of the stage and had extended conversations with several fans in the front row, without the microphone. Because the House of Blues is in Disney Springs, Brock also shared some stories about his experiences at Disneyland in California. “The last time I was there was during an earthquake, but you could barely tell anything was going on because everyone kept doing their regular Disney shit,” he said. Buying snacks from the churro vendor helped calm the panicked children.
Midway through the set, the band performed a jangly cover of The Cure’s “A Forest.” Afterward, Brock told the fans to let him know after the show if they should stop playing the song. Similarly, during one lengthy story, Brock joked that the crowd should let him know if he’s talking too much. “If I see you all turn your back to me, I’ll know I need to shut up,” he said.
Modest Mouse closed the regular set with the brooding ballad “Knocked Down By Waves” and a wildly frenetic rendition of “Trucker’s Atlas.”
After disappearing backstage, they returned for a five-song encore, including the fun, sing-along anthem “3rd Planet.” To close the night, they tore through the dynamic “Night on the Sun.” The song started as a twangy ballad, Brock singing softly over gentle strumming and arpeggios, but abruptly went off the rails. The heavy drums and distorted guitars kicked in, the band rocked out, and Brock knocked over his mic stand and screamed into his guitar pickup. That frenzied, eccentric energy was the perfect climax to the unpredictable, quirky nature of a Modest Mouse show.
