![Modest Mouse [photo by Tom Daly]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/modestmouse.jpg)
Ever since we broke the news here on these very pages back in late April, Modest Mouse’s scheduled concert at the Charlottesville Pavilion has been circled in bright red on the summer concert calendar. This was the first big addition to the Pavilion’s summer schedule after announcing their initial line-up back in March and for a number of local music fans, the announcement was greeted with celebration and aniticipation. Well at long last the day finally arrived as Modest Mouse, joined by openers The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, tore through the Charlottesville Pavilion on Sunday, June 29.
Folks started lining up Sunday afternoon to get into the venue well before the announced gate time of 6pm. When the doors were finally opened, there was a line stretching back a good city block, as many fans hoped to get a coveted spot as close to the stage as possible. By the time Dirty Dozen Brass Band took the stage to open the show an hour later, a rather large crowd had gathered on the Pavilion’s sloping concrete floor. The Dirty Dozen, for their part, got the evening off to a strong start with a fantastic 45 minute set of New Orleans jazz-infused funk and blues that got quite a few in the audience up and dancing and drew considerable applause from the crowd.
But as the Dirty Dozen headed off and the stage crew began preparing for the arrival of the evening’s headliner’s, the real crush of folks moving to the front began. By the time Modest Mouse hit the stage shortly after 8pm, the space from the soundboard all the way to the stage was literally packed. As the crowd roared, the band took their places on stage, and the evening was off and running.
[Photo: Modest Mouse on the Pavilion stage by Tom Daly]
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![Johnny Marr in the spotlight [photo by Tom Daly]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/JohnnyMarr2.jpg)
[Photo: Johnny Marr in the spotlight by Tom Daly]
Sunday’s performance at the Pavilion was just the sixth headlining show for Modest Mouse since coming off of their role as a supporting act on R.E.M.’s recent national tour and it was the first appearance for the band in Charlottesville. Adding to the excitement was the fact that this was possibly the first opportunity for some long-time fans to check out the recent addition of former Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr to the band’s line-up. And for local music fans, Sunday’s performance also served as a homecoming for Tom Peloso, who was a founding member and long-time performer with Charlottesville’s Hackensaw Boys. Peloso began playing with Modest Mouse back in 2004, first appearing on the band’s album Good News for People Who Love Bad News.
If there were any complaints from last night’s show they probably centered around the relatively short set (just under two hours, including encores) and the fact that the show’s song selection relied heavily on the band’s two most recent albums in favor of a number of classics from their back catalog. (”Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” would have been nice for starters). But all in all, the band’s performance was extremely tight and I think you’d be hard-pressed to find too many folks who weren’t thrilled by the band’s energy and overall sound throughout.
The show kicked off with a pounding version of “Dance Hall” from Good News that was followed by “Paper Thins Walls”, the first of two songs to make the set list from the band’s major label debut The Moon & Antartica from back in 2000. Of course all of Modest Mouse’s recent hits made it into Sunday’s 19 song performance including “Dashboard”, “Missed the Boat”, “Float On”, and “Fire It Up”, with the last two showing up in the band’s five song encore.
![Isaac Brock on the banjo [photo by Tom Daly]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/modestmouse2.jpg)
[Photo: Frontman Isaac Brock with banjo by Tom Daly]
As for personal highlights, I was obviously excited to see the members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band come out and add horns on two seperate occasions, first appearing on a performance of “King Rat”, which to date has only been issued on the 7″ bonus vinyl opposite “Fire It Up”, as well as on the UK single of “Dashboard”, and then returning for the encore opening version of “The Devil’s Workday”. It’s also hard to argue with the string of consecutive songs which closed out the band’s set prior to the encore (”Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”, “The Good Times are Killing Me”, and “Spitting Venom”).
From start to finish all six members of Modest Mouse were on their game, but for me it was Peloso, whose role on a variety of instruments ranging from trumpet to keyboards, as well as the talents of dual percussionists Jeremiah Green and Joe Plummer, that served as stand outs. Frontman Isaac Brock growled, roared, and at times shimmered on vocals, and while Johnny Marr’s moments in the spotlight were few, when he did step out, he was on the money.
One of my favorite scenes from over the course of the evening was taking a moment to step out from the center of the crowd and head up to the sidewalk that rises up above the venue off to the left of the stage. As smoke drifted up around the band and the lights bathed the front two-thirds of the audience in red and blue hues, Modest Mouse rolled through “Doin’ the Cockroach” as the crowd raised their collective fists in the air. It was a truly beautiful sight to see and it was just one of many memorable moments on an evening that showcased the talents of a band flexing it’s rock n roll muscles. In the end, I could find little to be disappointed with and I left the show truly impressed by the strength of Modest Mouse’s performance on this warm and breezy night in Charlottesville. What a great way to kick off the summer!
[Set list included below. Let me know if I missed anything or made any mistakes and I’ll make corrections. Also I’d love to hear your thoughts on last night’s show. What was your own personal highlight? Any disappointments? And finally, many thanks to Tom Daly for the fantastic photos!]
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Modest Mouse/Charlottesville Pavilion/06.29.08
Dance Hall
Paper Thin Walls
Satin in a Coffin
Dashboard
Here It Comes
Doin’ the Cockroach
King Rat*
Satellite Skin
Wild Packs of Family Dogs
The View
Missed the Boat
Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine
The Good Times are Killing Me
Spitting Venom
E:
This Devil’s Workday*
Truckers Atlas
Float On
Fire It Up
Education
Breakthrough
*w/Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Popularity: 45% [?]
Tagged as: charlottesville, Charlottesville Pavilion, concert, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, live music, Modest Mouse
This is a band that hadn’t really tried to get into. I was coming home from DC to go to the show, and tried to put som MM on, only to realize I only had one song on my ipod. Shame on me.
I enjoyed the show, though. They did carry a lot of energy, and they made a lot of noise. I tend to think that a band like that would sound even better at a lower volume inside, as opposed to an outdoor venue. I was right next to the sound guy, and it was louder there than it needed to be. Maybe I’m getting old.
Also, don’t know what song it is, but when Brock started stumming the banjo, I lost a little bit of respect for him.
@1. It’s almost as if I knew that’s what you were going to say.
/as for the strumming banjo, I should go ahead and warn you in advance. Avett Brothers. Sept. 20
Yeah, I loved the energy but to me a lot of what makes the band (Marr edition, at least) great is the way the guitars play off each other; and that was just totally lost in the sound environment of the Pavilion.
I also could have stood to hear a couple more of the newer songs (e.g. Invisible, March into the Sea, Florida, We’ve Got Everything, Parting of the Sensory); but that’s just because of my aforementioned newness to the band and my reverence for that record in particular. I think adding Johnny Marr was a genius move and really took this band to a new level, so I was shocked to only hear three songs in the main set from the record he co-wrote. Adding “Education” to the encore - which seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision - only partially redeemed them!
I went into the show not expecting such a big sound, but hoping for one. So to that end I was pleasantly surprised. For me, I wanted to hear the sort of melodic cacophany for lack of a better term.
I wonder if Marr’s role will increase as the band moves forward, in much the same way that Nels Cline’s role has increased with Wilco (on record and in the live performance). ITime will tell I guess, but you’d hope that Marr’s role would expand beyond just the studio. This also highlights the problems that come with enlisting a well-known guitarist into your already established band. Folks want to hear more of that guitarist and when they don’t, they leave disappointed. (or at the very least hoping for something more)
other than the brevity of the show, i, too, was highly impressed. i will say that i did not expected much more than what i had heard on studio albums and i was pleased with the depth of their sound (god damn they were tight).
i enjoyed the venue and the volume (sorry Newman)!
loved the incorporation of dirty dozen - saaaweet!
if anyone’s interested, i have a couple other pictures up here…
http://www.thedalydose.com/?p=161
I went to this concert because a couple if my friends from out-of-town are die hard fans and convinced me to go. I don’t think I had ever heard a single song by them before attending the show. I have gotta say that I was really impressed with their performance. Their energy was high throughout the set, and they showed why they are a national talent. They certainly made a fan out of me. Great set, the only complaint I had echoed what others have said…a little too short. Otherwise, fantastic show.
The guy with the upright base accidentally pocketed my “project” car’s keys a couple years ago. I really wish I could get them back, but I think he lives in Washington State now.
@8. Tom Peloso accidentally pocketed your car keys? I’m pretty sure he lives in the area when he’s not on the road with the band. You may be in luck, that is if he still has the keys.
Yeah, that’s the guy. Super nice fellow. Was gonna buy my ‘67 Coronet, as he is in to old cars. He wanted to pop by and noodle with the engine a bit, so I left him with the keys telling him to just leave them under the seat. Never saw him again. I always figured it was just a dumb mistake…
The only mistake i found was Smith’s instead of Smiths
Oops, spoke too soon! They closed with “Breakthrough,” a kick-ass song off their first record.
@11. I would give the editor hell for such an obvious mistake…but unfortunately that’s me!
@12. Thanks for catching that! I was kind of working from memory. I scribbled some notes but gave up after awhile. I’ll update the setlist ASAP. I take it you enjoyed the show?
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