Photos and recap by Maximilian Ho

Fans of indie rock band Modest Mouse waited in darkness as the droning sounds of swarming bees played over The Forum’s P.A. system. The band members slowly filed onto the stage and once lead singer Isaac Brock emerged they began to play “The World at Large” as the audience sang along to its poetic lyrics. It was very apparent that band didn’t have a planned set list as Brock took moments between songs to discuss with his bandmates which songs to play next. But that was awesome because the fans had a unique experience and they definitely got their money’s worth with the approximately 2-hour performance. Songs performed included ones from earlier albums like the banjo driven Bukowski and the infectiously upbeat “Lampshades on Fire” from their most recent studio release Strangers to Ourselves.

Co-headliner Brand New kicked off their set with lead singer Jesse Lacey’s screaming vocals on the hard hitting “Sink.” Brand New fans should be taking every chance to see them play live since the band has stated that they will disband once their next and final album is released. Part of the performance included their newest single “I Am a Nightmare” released earlier this year. They closed out the set playing “You Won’t Know” with Lacey standing on top of Brian Lane’s drum set.