Modest Mouse in the house, at a barstool right next to you


By Jennifer J. Johnson | [email protected] 

When Red Butte fans had the bomb dropped on them—that longtime summer staple Jon Prine would be missing his appearance at the amphitheatre due to health issues—it was definitely a downer.

But the news of an additional act, re-raised the thermometer for the 2019 summer season.

Modest Mouse was in the house, in outrageously unscripted style, not a replacement, but an off-the-hook bonus to a stellar season of outdoor concerts.

‘This place’

Isaac Brock, lead singer for the band, won’t have his phrase replacing Brigham Young’s famous quote about the Salt Lake Valley anytime soon. However, his opening comments about Red Butte sum up the tone for the night’s concert.

“This place is f------ ugly.”

It is an intentionally insane comment, much like some of the mid-concert chatter throughout the night.

Various bands throughout the season have invited the audience into their living room (Lyle Lovett), hung out with them at a campfire revival (the Wood Brothers), or attended a world-stage nightclub at their feet (Pink Martini).

Modest Mouse’s concert could be analogized as a night of barroom, gritty song, followed by the musicians’ pulling up barstools right next to you, pounding drinks and spewing philosophy, all the while.

The musical stylings spanning almost 30 years, ranged from their core grunge which has morphed to the catch-all “alternative indie” and even to some country western flavor, with banjos and pretty, though defiantly foul, well-loved mouths.

The rundown that kept the crowd up

“3rd Planet” (2000), the fourth song in, sealed the band’s hyper-audience lock for the night. “Dashboard” (2007) showcased the musical and technical aspects of the band. The sound yielded high production quality—a noticeable difference from the Jason Isbell concert a few nights prior—but there were a few noticeable mishaps technically.

Perhaps the roadies sat right along with the band, during a few of the barstool sessions.

Newer material, such as “Tourist and the Tortoise” (2015) was performed to musical perfection. MM seems to have as big of a roadie crew as they do bandmates, and the technical show pays off the effort—with effects lighting not just the stage, but the audience.

The band, surely, gets off on lighting up the audience musically and literally.

“King Rat” (2007) and “Autumn Beds” (2009) were true to the band vibe.

Dipping back to the band’s origins, “Dramamine,” offered up killer guitar solos, before the song’s solemn endings.

Appealing to younger, newer fans, “Sugar Boats” (2015) was performed with delightfully chaotic lighting. “Lampshades on Fire” (also 2015) proved to be the quintessential sing-along during parts.

The audience was decidedly onboard.

The big finish

For all of the embracing of chaos, MM knows the importance of a timed show, reserving the biggest punch for the end of the concert.

The vintage-90s “Grey Ice Water” (1999) and “Doin’ the Cockroach” (1997) and the newer “Whale Song” (2009) closed the concert more impressively than the encores that followed.

Modest Mouse has a style as unique as their name and musical sound. You know you are seeing or just saw one of the greats—just another night at Red Butte.

Opening for MM

Not surprisingly, Modest Mouse opened with an equally outrageous act.

Now that MM has resettled from native Issaquah, Washington to Portland, they come across unique stage fellows. Such was the crew they engaged to open for them in Salt Lake City.

“Salt Lake City, are you vibing on this?” NOMADR (“No Matter”) asked. Mixed results, to be sure. The band had a world-music, tribal point of view, with a female vocalist who stole the show and a lead man fond of spewing the f-word right along with messages for world peace. Most definitely a unique opener, worthy of the “Keep Portland Weird” efforts.