Fire it up.

I just saw Modest Mouse for the 8th or 9th time in the last 10 years. They were playing down the street from my new house with Ms. Susie. Funny thing is, Ms. Susie HATES MM. Something about Seattle and seeing four bad shows. MM are inconsistent with their shows. I give up on them for years at a time.



I’ve probably seen this band more over a longer period of time then any other band I’ve ever followed. Wilco would be a close 2nd, but given how many shows they’ve screwed me over since moving to NYC, they don’t count. And Spoon doesn’t count because I used to see them 2-3 times a month when I lived in Austin and all 10 SXSW I’ve been too. And Mates of State don't count because I saw 12 shows in a row when I was on tour with them.

The first time I saw them was at Emo’s in June of 1998. I went with Melissa who originally tipped me off to them. I was dating L, and as about to turn 21, and move to England in August. Was this the last show I illegally drank at? Anyway, it was really hot, and Issac decided to start the show around midnight. At 2 am, they rip into ‘Do The Cockroach’ and the audience levitated. Seriously levitated. It was the most spiritual live concert experience I’ve ever had.

The next significant time I saw them was at the Filmore in San Francisco. They sucked. I was working at Napster, and went with Brandon. I said I would never see them again. He called me a dick.

I listened to the Moon over Antarctica a little when it originally came out and I was working at Napster. The Nissan commercial was a huge turn off. Their music used to sell a MINIVAN?!? But I have to hand it to Tiny City Made of Ashes from that record. They was my favorite part of tonight's show.



Next time I saw them was on Sept 10, 2001.
I went to see them at Warfield with Melissa. They had video of planes crashing and buildings falling during 3rd Planet. The lyrics 'this how the world began, this is how the world will end' was so cryptic. I had a cold or something and had planned on calling in sick to Napster the next day. Went to bed with a really weird feeling. Those images were so intense. Woke up to my sister calling me and crying. You know what happened the next day. Horrible.

Next significant time I saw them was in Berkeley as part of the Cake 'Ultimate Sunshine' tour. They were on the bill with the Flaming Lips. I was dating a different L and was about to move to LA to work for Warner Bros. Issac was being a dick and said all these bands on the bill sucked. I thought that was funny. They debuted ‘The Good Times are Killing Me’ a year and a half before their next record was released. When that record came out 'Float On’ became a hit.

The week I moved to NYC Modest Mouse was playing Radio City Music Hall where my new offices happened to be as well. Aaron had just started dating Monica, and they were there too. The show was just ok. They should have played somewhere else. I ran into A+M on the subway leaving the show. Aaron and I can always find each other. That was the first time I met Monica as well.



With the co habitation, job thing and school starting, MM is there at pretty much every life inflection point. We’ll all HAVE to float on. There is no other option.