A show for all ages, obviously

Modest Mouse
SOMA ~ San Diego Ca
02/05/05

You know your high school friend's younger sister? And that 40-something year old guy in the accounting department of your office? And the mechanic that changed your oil last week? And the lifeguard from Pacific Beach? Yeah, I think I saw them at the Modest Mouse show last Saturday night. The crowd was an interesting blend which could have been brought on by the band or maybe it was the venue. SOMA is well known for it's all ages shows and, until recently, hasn't had much competition in that market. Old school Modest Mouse fans may have been a bit disappointed at this show since there wasn't a lot of older tunes played, but unlike most 10 year+ bands, with 7+ albums, that come out with new, critically acclaimed albums but really the material isn't that great (see: U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), this group actually has a lot of great new material to play at shows this year. With that, I think it's safe to say that this is one album of 2004 that received critical acclaim, that actually deserved it. But back to the show, all my personal favorites off the new album were played such as "The World at Large", "Black Cadillacs", and "One Chance". The old tune crowd pleaser of the evening seemed to be "paper thin walls" off their 2000 album The Moon & Antarctica. It was a pleasant mood throughout the venue, the lovers, the rockers, the first date-ers, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Which is the point after all right? Modest Mouse is definitely a band I would see again. And just like I say every time I leave a SOMA show... I'd rather not go back, but I will if I have too.