Review: Modest Mouse at The Orange Peel
Modest Mouse did not float on — and that’s OK.
Though frontman Isaac Brock has hinted at a fall run of shows to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Good News for People Who Love Bad News with all of his then-bandmates who played on that breakthrough album, the group’s opener-free May 30 show at The Orange Peel served more as a tune-up before joining Pixies and Cat Power for a nationwide tour — and excuse to play whatever they damn well please for an appreciative crowd.
Back at the — don’t say ‘modest’; don’t say ‘modest’ — humbly-sized venue for first time since 2010, the Seattle-area rockers pulled fairly equally from across their impressive discography. And despite the absence of their big hit in the setlist, the passionate delivery of a well-curated collection made it difficult to quibble with the overall experience.
Despite (or perhaps because) of Brock’s early disclaimer of “the Modest Mouse guarantee” that they’d “only fuck up 50% of the songs,” the band sounded phenomenal through the Peel’s storied sound system and wove in some truly special offerings, beginning with the rousing, talent-flexing, 8.5-minute “The Stars Are Projectors” — performing it for the first time since May 2000, weeks before it was released on The Moon & Antarctica.
The six-piece’s musical prowess firmly established in unusual but stunning fashion, they veered more toward the familiar with the deliciously relentless “Dashboard,” the push-pull punk explosions of “Bury Me With It,” and the groove-tastic indie rock standard “Fire It Up.” Yet plenty of surprises awaited.
The capacity room was soon treated to the live debut of the a capella “Race Car Grin You Ain’t No Landmark,” and the show likewise marked the ensemble’s first time sharing “Remember Yourself” and their cover of The Cure’s “A Forest,” not to mention the return of “What People Are Made Of” after a near six-year hiatus.
While Modest Mouse is rarely (ever?) talked about as a bass-centric band, cranked this loud at the Peel, Russell Higbee’s intricate contributions were showcased to impressive degrees. He and lead guitarist Simon O’Connor further showcased their gifts by switching instruments later in the set, then resuming business as usual without disrupting the show’s flow in the slightest.
The same held true for Brock, whose knowingly goofy query of "Who likes the banjo?!?" suggests that he and his bandmates could fit in at Merlefest just as well as they do at the Peel. His mastery of mixing tempos across a setlist — even one as varied and exciting as this one — further cements him as a leader capable of blending hits with less-popular but clearly still fulfilling creations.
And, sure, hearing “Float On” is a treat, but according to Setlist.fm, Modest Mouse has played it live more than 700 times (!!!) in the past 20 years, including 2023 and 2021 stops at Rabbit Rabbit. So if they don’t want to perform it one night, that’s totally fine — especially when they blast through “Lampshades on Fire,” which is nearly as catchy as “Float On” (hell, so is “We Are Between” from their most recent album, 2021’s The Golden Casket).
In the end, the long-awaited (read: hardly anyone there realizes how lucky we were) gig was a good show for people who love unpredictable setlists. And for all we know, it might be grounds for Asheville hosting one of those rumored 20th anniversary celebrations.
(Photos by Justin Bowman)
