Central
Park Summer Stage, June 20, 2005
Modest Mouse…a band that even fans
need to be high to be excited about seeing live.
I ventured out to Central Park on the
beautiful evening of June 20, 2005, to see Modest Mouse
play to a sold out crowd in the Summer Stage 2005 Concert
Series. I never thought I’d see this band live because
I’ve tried many, many, times to jump on the Modest
Mouse bandwagon but I’ve somehow always lost my footing
and fallen behind.
Like any music fan, I try to keep up
with the latest craze and Modest Mouse started gaining a
stampede of indie followers in late 2003. I had a sample
of maybe a dozen of their older songs sent to me by a friend,
and I’d force myself to listen to my Modest Mouse
playlist in iTunes once in a while. While my hipster friends
hit up their shows after smoking blunts in dorms with the
windows wide open even in winter to let the smell out, I’d
force myself to listen to my Modest Mouse playlist again.
I avoided every opportunity to see the band live because
I still wasn’t convinced I’d enjoy the experience.
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When their
most recent album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News,
came out in April 2004, I diligently bought a copy to try
and discover what the underground hype was all about. The
album is probably their most commercial one yet, with hit
single “Float On” gaining airplay even on the
most mainstream of airwaves, z100. Unfortunately, the album
didn’t convert me into a diehard Modest Mouse fan,
but instead taught me that there are just some bands that
everyone but you sees the genius in.
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However, I grabbed the opportunity to attend this concert with
both hands, knowing that this was going to be the only time I
would give Modest Mouse a chance live. The first three songs made
no impression on me, as I was mostly absorbed in photographing
the band from the pit. I believe the fourth song they played was
“Float On.” I had initially disliked the single, but
over time and repeated airplay, the song finally grew on me.
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up the band’s performance of the upbeat tune and I bopped
my head along with them, being thankful to hear something
familiar. “Float On” got my hopes up for the rest
of the band’s set, but I’m sorry to say that the
smell of weed in the air excited me more than watching the
band finish, and I left after about 8 songs to wander a nighttime
Central Park. |
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