Modest Mouse and Man Man
San Jose State Events Center, San Jose, CA
May 16, 2007

The fact that i haven't yet posted a review of this show is probably indicative of my less-than-enthusiastic approach to Modest Mouse. In my indie rock heyday i took my friend Lance's lead and discovered many wonderful acts, but somehow despite the plethora of good word-of-mouth, the country-infused rock of Modest Mouse never really grew on me. I didn't pay too much attention when they ascended to mainstream success either, only mildly tolerating the wildly popular "Float On". However, Veronica was able to wrangle two free tickets to the band's San Jose show from a friend, and given that Britpop demigod Johnny Marr is now a member of the group i figured i might as well give it a go. We arrived at the tail end of second opener Man Man's set, and only saw enough while grabbing a hot dog and nacho dinner to conclude that they resembled the Polyphonic Spree meets Neutral Milk Hotel. We grabbed seats in the stands to watch the show, and i whiled the between-set time inspecting two boys down on the floor sporting Premiership tops, one a Joey Barton Manchester City kit and the other i believe a Liverpool jersey although he never gave me a good look. While i'm not conversant with the band's material, i enjoyed the first few songs, particularly Johnny Marr's contributions to them. "We've Got Everything" sounded brilliant live, although listening to the lackluster version on their latest album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank i have to say the allure was something in the live performance. We stuck around through the crowd pleaser "Float On" and current single "Dashboard", and one from the vaults in "Doin' the Cockroach" from 1997's Lonesome Crowded West. However, my positive reception of the show was still at best lukewarm, and V and i gave in to tiredness and headed home 3/4 of the way through the set. My Mo Mo apathy continues.

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