Bridgeport, CT 8/24/23

Well, I found myself at a Pixies and Modest Mouse show Thursday night. My daughter wanted to go, so we went with her friend and my wife in tow.

They did have an opener, Cat Power I believe, but we missed most of it due to stupid traffic and parking. We did hear about 2 songs, one of which was a cover of Tambourine Man. She had a “pretty voice” according to my daughter, and she liked her. So that’s cool.

Modest Mouse was next. I’ve heard the name but I wasn’t super familiar with their stuff. I do know their song Dashboard which they of course played, so that was the highlight for me. But I liked this band. Musically, they were pretty interesting to watch and listen to. At one point, they had 7 different dudes on stage playing various instruments. Throughout their performance, they had guitars, bass, and drums as expected. But then they also had keyboards, a banjo, upright bass (or maybe an electric cello?), various percussion, and a lap steel guitar (I think). So, the talent was there and enjoyable without knowing their stuff. The lead singer looked like a dorky dad though. But at least he rocks! He’s probably a cool dad at least.

The Pixies were next. Again, I certainly knew the name but wasn’t super familiar with their catalog of songs. They did have a female bassist, which according to the interwebs, is not the original bassist (Kim Deal). She apparently left recently but then they got another female bassist. A girl bassist is a totally 80s/90s alternative band thing to do. Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, White Zombie, and Echobelly to name a few. They played Where is My Mind and Here Comes Your Man during their set which were the only two I knew. Those were fun. The singer seemed to get stronger vocally as the night went on. He did some pretty sweet screaming if you’re into that.

What bothered me about this band is that they never said a single word to the crowd. It was song after song, and nothing else. Perhaps this was because they only had a 1 hour and 15-minute set (as did Modest Mouse who also barely said a thing) but it irks me. All of these people paid good money to come and see you play, so at least throw out an occasional “thank you” or even a “this next one is called…” but nope! Not a peep.

One observation I made was that except for the current bassist, the band seemed totally bored. At least she was smiling and waving to people, but the singer (who’s also the rhythm guitar player) just seemed totally bored. Perhaps he’s at the point in his career where he’s just going through the motions. I find that super annoying.

It’s also worth noting that as the night went on, the crowd seemed to be shrinking. I’m wondering if Modest Mouse was the bigger draw. Did people come to see Modest Mouse and then decided to stay for the Pixies a while before trickling out? Or did they just not meet expectations? I think they sounded ok, but it was the first time I ever saw them and I don’t know their music. So maybe they sucked. Who knows. Were you there? Would love to know your thoughts. Would I see either band again? Meh.

Lastly, to the Karen that had an issue with two 15-year-old girls taking selfies at a concert, chill out! That’s what they do. To bitch and complain and call them rude is ridiculous. Act like an adult.