As a native of New Orleans, it's a strange feeling to be living in a place that's not home. Yet there are tons of things that remind me of home in Denver. Known for its spacious views and tremendous outdoors, many like myself have found their way here via the South.
All this matters because much like NOLA, Denver has tons of attractions and events that draw people from all over the country and the world. On Tuesday night, on the ongoing tour of their most recent release The Golden Casket, Modest Mouse brought their tour to the magical Red Rocks natural Amphitheater.
Opening the evening was Empath, followed by Baltimore indie rock sensations Future Islands, who over the course of an hour delighted the capacity audience with upbeats songs. Meanwhile frontman Sam Herring dominated the stage (like he usually does) as the band played their usual set, with highlights like the easily sing along of "Seasons (Waiting on You)" bringing the crowd together for a huge sing along.
By the time F.I. exited the stage, the crowd had gotten fully invested in the evening and, with anticipation growing, the road crew began assembling MM's stage. Led by Issac Brock, Modest Mouse has been a mainstay of alternative rock for over two decades now. Over the years, they've gotten their fair share of healthy criticism, with late starts, cancelled shows, and personal drama filling Brock's life.
That being said, this was easily the best Mouse show I've seen, with the band starting exactly on schedule, playing for nearly two hours in the process.
Now, if you're a hardcore fan, this was a tremendous show to witness. Issac looks healthy, although a little bit of age has started to creep up. He didn't say much of anything during the set, except to mention a meme of him from over a decade ago, which I had never seen before Googling it myself.
Opening with "Dramamine" amid a swirl of ominous lights and smoke, the five-piece seemed at home and ready to play, with the crowd loudly announcing their satisfaction.
Many new songs from the recent album filled out the first 30 minutes, with "F*ck Your Acid Trip," "We're Lucky," and others filling up the early moments. Before long, the crowd of roughly 20,000 got to join in the band in uplifting versions of "Float On," "Lampshade on Fire," and "Dashboard" all being huge moments.
As the concert winded to an end, the band delivered an encore of "The World at Large," before finally ending with the weirdness of "Spitting Venom."
You never know what you're gonna get when you go to a Modest Mouse show, but that night, those in attendance left happy and joyous, as we all "Float On" through this thing called life.
Issac Brock and company will headline NOLA's Fillmore Theater on October 12, so be
sure not to miss it.
