Photos + Article by Anthony Bauer
It’s hard to believe that so many albums from our youth are hitting unfathomable milestones, and one of those albums is 2000’s The Moon & Antartica by Modest Mouse which (somehow) turned 25 earlier this year. The band announced a tour a while back with little to no mention of the milestone, simply calling it the “fall tour” and have been surprising fans by playing the album in full each night of the tour. On Wednesday, October 22nd the band wrapped up said fall run at the Capitol Theatre and brought along fellow indie rock legends Built to Spill to open the night up.
On one hand its strange the band didn’t advertise this run of shows as an anniversary tour but on the other hand, I applaud the decision to not as for those who do not regularly check setlist.fm before or after a show, they were 100% surprised at what was happening. At one point I overheard someone in the crowd scream, “holy shit, they’re playing MOON & ANTARCTICA!!!” which was one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments.
I’ve seen the band before and they’d play one, maybe two songs from The Moon & Antartica, but getting to hear it in full in the first set was truly amazing as I finally was able to see so many of my favorite songs performed live. The album packs a punch and even more-so live where certain songs just sounded absolutely massive in the best way possible. The standout was “The Stars Are Projectors,” which far exceeded the 8 minute and 45 second studio version with the band veering off into jam-band territory (which was a perfect fit at the Capitol Theatre). According to setlist.fm, the song was only really played from 2000-1998 and then the band quietly retired it from their set and it only has reemerged the past few years. It is an absolute monster of a track and I hope it remains in their setlist after this year as every fan should experience it live – it embodies everything that makes Modest Mouse so great.
After the first set, the stage lights went dim and a few minutes later the John Williams score from JAWS began to play and then slowly the band came back on stage to rip through a 6 song encore set that had a little something for everyone. We got a song from their second album, a song from en EP, a Cure cover, and standouts from Good News for People Who Love Bad News, “Ocean Breathes Salty” and “Bukowski.”
One thing is certain after experiencing this show is that live music is something truly special and we should never ever take it for granted. Maybe this is a PSA, maybe it’s not but… get out there and experience live music wherever you are as you truly don’t know what you are going to get. The raw, unfiltered energy of a live show means maybe they’ll play your favorite song, or maybe they’ll play an album in celebration of an anniversary – the luck of the draw is part of the thrill of it. It can never be matched by listening at home or watching a clip on YouTube as.. you just have to be there. So, what are you waiting for? Go on… get out there. Get off your phone and computer and go experience live music.
Find a full gallery from opener Built to Spill as well as a full gallery + setlist from Modest Mouse below.
Built to Spill:
Modest Mouse:
Modest Mouse setlist:
The Moon & Antartica
1. 3rd Planet
2. Gravity Rides Everything
3. Dark Center of the Universe
4. Perfect Disguise
5. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
6. A Different City
7. The Cold Part
8. Alone Down There
9. The Stars Are Projectors
10. Wild Packs of Family Dogs
11. Paper Thin Walls
12. I Came as a Rat
13. Lives
14. Life Like Weeds
15. What People Are Made Of
Encore:
(Main title and First Victim by John Williams played) [JAWS theme]
16. Baby Blue Sedan
17. A Forest (The Cure cover)
18. Fuck Your Acid Trip
19. Oceans Breathes Salty
20. King Rat
21. Bukowski
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