Modest Mouse Live @ Bowery Ballroom 11/18/06

After Johnny Marr and David Cross walked off stage it was time to get down to the main event. All month I was eagerly awaiting the new Modest Mouse with Johnny Marr. Early set-lists indicated they were going heavy on the last three albums including We Were Dead, which was fine because I just wanted to see the guys in action. That’s why Saturday’s dud of a show was so disappointing. They just didn’t sound very good. Johnny Marr looked really tentative throughout the show. Isaac Brock was preoccupied with the sound. The band was somewhat tight but Brock was a little erratic. He flubbed some lyrics, flubbed some chords. It truly looked like a band rehearsing. I guess that’s what you get for a few warm-up club gigs. Still, I was hoping for something more. They stayed with the same set-list they were playing all week, with a few variations. A few new songs, a bunch of songs from Good News, and very little old material. Granted, I didn't stick around to the end so there's a chance they tightened up the ship a little. The encore looks good on paper, and I'm bummed that I left before Trailer Trash, but dems the breaks. I’m going to chalk up their performance to new material, a new band dynamic, and unfair expectations on my part. I’m still looking forward to We Were Dead Before the Ship Evan Sank, and catching them live when they tour the album. On a side note, I hope Johnny Marr is utilized on the new record. It would be such a waste to have a musician of his caliber sitting there strumming Brock's chords. (no pun intended) If Marr contributes songs, will it ruin the band dynamic? Brock is the bullheaded type that doesn’t play well with others, so we'll see. Here are live versions of four songs that will appear on the new album, via You Aint No Picasso via  Hearsay via netZoo.

MP3 Modest Mouse - We've Got Everything
MP3 Modest Mouse - People We Know
MP3 Modest Mouse - Invisible In Your Car
MP3 Modest Mouse - Dashboard

Photos: Modest Mouse @ Bowery Ballroom 11/18/06

Set-list courtesy of Bloody Knee Jerk

Dramamine
Paper-Thin Walls
Float On
The View
Fire It Up
We’ve Got Everything
Bukowski
Missed the Boat
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
Breakthrough
Black Cadillacs
Trailer Trash
Dashboard

Encore
Continental Breakfast???
Ocean Breathes Salty
Bury Me With It
Doin’ the Cockroach

Comments

[what??]

Modest Mouse is awesome, what's up?

[AngryCitizen]

I love modest mouse and I'm there when they come back to NY. I was just a little disappointed, that's all.

[floodwatch]

I've heard/read nothing but negative coverage regarding this tour. Expectations can be a bitch.

[topomodesto]

i gotta say, calling isaac "the bullheaded type who doesn't play well with others" is a pretty silly & unfounded label. he did a whole album collaborating with 3 other big personalities that came out pretty great. there's also the 764-hero ep where he and john atkins layered their vocals on top of each other pretty well. and then there's is the wolf parade album. he may be a rough personality during interviews, but he seems to enjoy collaborations a whole lot more than the average musician.

[Angrycitizen]

Point taken. although wolf parade NEVER mentions his name which is a little strange. Also, Modest Mouse has been through a lot of line-up changes over the years. I just think Brock is a strong personality and it will be interesting to see how much say Marr has in the final product.

[topomodesto]

agreed. i think that the "people we wanted to know" track sounded like it was written by marr... you didn't list it so i guess they didn't play it at the bowery ballroom show. but we'll have to see for the rest of the album.

[msempower]

just saw modest mouse at the orpheum in boston and they were incredible. i must say that johnny marr definately stole the show.

[angrycitizen]

Msempower,

glad you enjoyed the show. i'm sure at this point, after touring for a bit, they are on point and better then ever.