By Sydney Syverson
It was a cesspool for the swine flu. Hundreds of sweaty people coughing, spreading super germs and jam-packed basically on top of one another in a room with little to no air-conditioning. And yet, there I was among them trying to weasel my way closer to the stage.
Modest Mouse graced the Crystal Ballroom with its presence Tuesday night.
Brooklyn band Love as Laughter was the opening act. I can't say I was blown away by their music but it was pleasant enough, and I do suppose that's all you can expect from an opening band.
The band comprises a bunch of fellows with the help from three of their lady friends as back-up singers. I couldn't really understand the purpose of the back-up singers because I honestly didn't hear them once, but they swayed on the right beat and filled the stage nicely. One thing this band has going for it is that lead singer and guitarist Sam Jayne has an addictively gruff, rugged and dependable quality to his voice that left Tuesday night's crowd satisfied.
But the hundreds of people swarming around the stage didn't come here to listen to Love as Laughter.
Forty minutes after Love as Laughter sang their last song, Modest Mouse took the stage. The restless crowd was ready to hear the distinctive sound and scream out their favorite lyrics along with lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and general musical genius Isaac Brock.
Their opening song was from their new EP "No One's First, and You're Next." They began with "The Whale Song" which has 2 minutes and 55 seconds of unnecessary instrumentals before any vocals come in. I wasn't impressed with the recorded version of this song from the EP, and I was even less impressed with the live rendition.
The lyric "I should've found a way out so everyone could find a way out" just seemed so perfectly apt to my own sentiments. But it could've also been that I was standing directly by the stage right speakers and couldn't really appreciate the moment over the noisy din they were producing.
Luckily, the show started looking up after that disappointing start with the second song "3rd Planet." It got even better with the third song "Black Cadillacs," and I could tell the band was settling in and becoming more comfortable with the crowd, which was an eclectic mix of people in and of itself. I saw people in their 60s as well as children as young as eight.
Some musical highlights were definitely their performances of "Satin In a Coffin" and "Fly Trapped In a Jar."
"Satin In a Coffin" has a unique sound because of the banjo and "Fly Trapped In a Jar" gave the crowd and Brock the chance to wail a bit as well as the opportunity for a strong drum beat that aided the teen demographic in their frenzied moshing.
But the band brought the moshing to a halt with the mellow "Blame It On the Tetons," then brought the slam-dance right back with "Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes." The latter song had a little egocentric jam-session that left me wondering if Brock, bassist Eric Judy and drummer Jeremiah Green had completely forgotten they were playing a paid event and not partaking in an impromptu musical gathering.
Brock didn't really speak much during the show except for some unintelligible mutterings about wealth, gold and rubies. After a roadie brought him another guitar because of a brief snafu with the first one, Brock rambled for a few minutes about how "it is true and can be printed that Modest Mouse owns two guitars." Luckily, no one was here to listen to Brock do anything but sing so he kept his ramblings to a minimum.
I was, however, impressed with guitarist Jim Fairchild, who just recently joined the band. He added his guitar skills and also provided much-needed back-up vocals.
This is not to say that Brock's vocals couldn't speak - or sing- for themselves. I was blown away at the quality of Brock's voice because I'd been worried he wouldn't be able to do his lyrics justice at a live show. I was proven wrong during "The View" when Brock sang perfectly and emotionally the lyric "If life's not beautiful without the pain/Well, I'd rather never ever even see beauty again."
The show came to a close after about an hour of playing. But as everyone knows, they'd be back for an encore - or so we thought.
The crowd cheered "MODEST MOUSE!" stamped their feet and become pretty rowdy. After over 20 minutes the band came back on stage.
All Brock hubristically said was, "Hey, thanks for sticking around."
Making an audience wait that long for a couple more songs was a complete diva/jerk move on the band's part, and yet I stayed put because I, just like everyone else, wanted to see what they would play for their encore.
The first song was from their 1996 offering "This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About." Seeing as I was only seven when this album was released, I wasn't very familiar with it and was disgruntled that this was their last song.
But fortunately, it was not the end. With my ride anxiously circling the Crystal Ballroom, I wondered if I had time to stay to hear the last song. When "Parting of the Sensory" began I knew she could wait a little longer.
Modest Mouse began weak but ended strong. In the end, they played a decent set which entertained the audience. I don't foresee their shaky moments, lack of originality in their performance or their mainstream superstar attitude keeping fans away from their shows and albums anytime in the near future.
