Modest Mouse at The Fillmore
It’s a good thing Modest Mouse is returning to the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Center for a headline show. South Florida has had much better luck with the Seattle-based band in charge of its shows instead of playing second fiddle at music festivals.
First, there was the 2006 Bang Music Festival where a late appearance by Gnarls Barkley pushed them too close to Duran Duranís slot. They were cut off by the third song. In 2009, the band was supposed to play the Langerado Music Festival at its new location in Downtown Miami. But the event was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. The band then decided to offer its own makeup show at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale. The venue sold out, even though there was a 10-minute moment, early in the set, when they walked off stage that left fans bewildered. The group returned to complete the show with a five-song encore.
But their 2008 show at the Fillmore Miami Beach still stands as their best. That night, frontman Isaac Brock and the then seven-piece Mouse, including two drummers and Johnny Marr on guitar, ran through an impeccable set of hits and longtime fan-favorite songs. They also occasionally brought out a trumpet, banjo and violin, speaking to the dynamism that drives the indie rock darlings. It’s no wonder that, despite no new album and more than six years of absence from the area, the venue has sold out ahead of their return.
As of press time it remains unknown what the line-up of the band will consist of. Their dual drummer set-up has been a mainstay of Modest Mouse’s live shows and Marr left in 2009. Last year, the band debuted three new songs live, “Be Brave,” “Shit in Your Cut” and “Sugar Boats.” Those lucky enough to have nabbed tickets should expect those songs, which have not wavered from Mouse’s reliable sound. The band has also been rumored to have been long working on a follow-up album to 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, so maybe some new material is in store.
Modest Mouse perform at The Fillmore Miami Beach, Wednesday, May 14.
~Hans Morgenstern, Independent Ethos
Hans Morgenstern is a Miami freelance writer and film critic. He is a member of the Florida Film Critics Circle for his work on indieethos.wordpress.com
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