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Written by JORDAN BRANDES
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Friday, 10 August 2007 |
Everything about Modest Mouse gives you the impression that they would be perfect for a large outdoor festival. The band, who uses everything from accordions to harmonicas in their albums, put on a surprisingly dull performance Sunday at Lollapolooza. The reasons for such an outcome are not entirely clear at first glance.
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Continuing Lolla coverage |
MODEST MOUSE
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 Entertainment
 Art
BUD LIGHT STAGE
LOLLAPOLOOZA DAY 3
Read Lumino Magazine's Lollapalooza coverage all this week! Interviews, concert reviews and more are on their way!
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The densely populated crowd for Modest Mouse overflowed out of the Bud Light stage with fans. Once on stage the band played a solid musical show hitting all the favorites from “Float On” to their more recent “Dashboard”. The problem did not lie in their music it came about in their lack of it. There seemed to be a tremendous amount of time between songs throughout which there was nothing but dead air. With such a massive and anxious crowd every minute of dead air is another 10 or 20 people that decide it’s not worth it to watch them. “I guess this is the part where I small talk” the band said after a few songs, that of course was the wrong thing to say, “shut up and play!” was the response of the man next to me.
Like many of those lined up to play at this years Lollapolooza the fact that they are big name bands does not always mean they are made for such a festival. The same problem occurred for Regina Spektor the day before, despite all the bands talent the vibe was simply against them. By the time Modest Mouse had taken the stage many in the audience had gotten restless and were talking about getting good spots for Pearl Jam, the much talked about lead headliner for the festival.
The heat was a major factor as well. On Sunday the temperatures reached in the high 90’s and almost everyone who remained in the audience for the Modest Mouse had been going since early morning hopping from band to band. Being on your feet for that long can take a toll on your attitude. By the halfway point of Mouse’s set those without decent hydration had simply walked out.
Everything is a matter of timing. If Modest Mouse had been a headliner (something I don’t think they can pull off just yet) the crowd would have reacted differently to their performance. The directors of the festival have to do a better job of placing the right acts at the time and place they deserve. Placing Modest Mouse in a time slot so close Pearl Jam doomed anything they played. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
