Modest Mouse Rocks my Socks
Well, I got to see them live. In person. Up on stage. I was one of the thousands of screeching fans who waxed enthusiastic over the concert at the Queen Elizabeth theater last night. It was a treat to hear them live.
The venue itself was, sadly, not so great. We were encouraged not to leave our seats, which was tough, as Modest Mouse have some very danceable numbers. Jon and I were stuck up on the back balcony (but near the front, which mitigated some of its inherent crappiness). I actually had to move into the aisle to maintain a view of the stage, as some crazy, very high people right in front of us insisted on standing up and leaping around the entire time we were there (I was torn between hope and fear that one of them would fall over the railing).
The music itself was pretty damned sweet. I hadn't realized just how many drummers it take to maintain their funky little rhythms. They had two whole drumsets up on that stage, with two full time drummers and a few other guys who would occassionally materialize out of nowhere and pick up a bongo or tambourine. In addition, the back up singer and one of the guitarists would frequently put aside their other musical duties in favour of being members of the rhythm section (usually with maraccas). Anyways, it worked perfectly, and the more I listened, the more in awe I was. The rhythms seemed so simple at first!
The lead singer was nothing short of manic. His vocals were definately energetic...though sometimes I'd have liked to hear a little less screaming. He wasn't much for audience interaction...no patter throughout the show. But I didn't feel that detracted from the experience (though Jon might argue otherwise).
We got to hear lots of their new stuff (pretty much in the same versions as are on the CD), and a few older songs, which were great! Some of the pieces from their earlier records are very powerful! I'd always been sort of turned off of those discs by the bare bones recording quality, but I guess I'll have to go give 'em another shot now.
The opening band...don't get me started. Boo. But the ones I really paid to hear were Modest Mouse, and they didn't disappoint.
The venue itself was, sadly, not so great. We were encouraged not to leave our seats, which was tough, as Modest Mouse have some very danceable numbers. Jon and I were stuck up on the back balcony (but near the front, which mitigated some of its inherent crappiness). I actually had to move into the aisle to maintain a view of the stage, as some crazy, very high people right in front of us insisted on standing up and leaping around the entire time we were there (I was torn between hope and fear that one of them would fall over the railing).
The music itself was pretty damned sweet. I hadn't realized just how many drummers it take to maintain their funky little rhythms. They had two whole drumsets up on that stage, with two full time drummers and a few other guys who would occassionally materialize out of nowhere and pick up a bongo or tambourine. In addition, the back up singer and one of the guitarists would frequently put aside their other musical duties in favour of being members of the rhythm section (usually with maraccas). Anyways, it worked perfectly, and the more I listened, the more in awe I was. The rhythms seemed so simple at first!
The lead singer was nothing short of manic. His vocals were definately energetic...though sometimes I'd have liked to hear a little less screaming. He wasn't much for audience interaction...no patter throughout the show. But I didn't feel that detracted from the experience (though Jon might argue otherwise).
We got to hear lots of their new stuff (pretty much in the same versions as are on the CD), and a few older songs, which were great! Some of the pieces from their earlier records are very powerful! I'd always been sort of turned off of those discs by the bare bones recording quality, but I guess I'll have to go give 'em another shot now.
The opening band...don't get me started. Boo. But the ones I really paid to hear were Modest Mouse, and they didn't disappoint.
posted by Keltok at 4:38 PM
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