Concert review: Modest Mouse w/ Built to Spill | 10.06.25, The Factory

Photo of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse by Laura Jerele

What a fun night at The Factory having Modest Mouse and Built to Spill making a tour stop here on a Monday night. Thinking it may be lightly attended being a Monday, I was hella wrong and so glad to see such a huge crowd fill the place. Having already covered Built to Spill’s recent stop here when they shared the bill with Yo La Tengo, I came into this night expecting a jammy, melodic set from them, and damn it if they didn’t disappoint! Their roughly hour-long (opening) slot leaned into a blend of fan favorites and somewhat deeper cuts that made it feel not-so-opening-slot-ish. The set included “Goin’ Against Your Mind,” “Trimmed and Burning,” “I Would Hurt a Fly,” and “Never Gonna Be The Same.”  A three-piece with effortless looseness they’re known for, they make a lot of volume and noise for just three people! Singer Doug Martsch tinkers with his guitar tech as much as he plays (and he is shockingly stellar), making those killer, quirky sounds that create their trademark sophisticated alternative style. Their sound was warm and buzzing with volume and rich vocals, their stage setup simple, and though they weren’t headlining, they certainly felt like it with the house full when they went on.

Modest Mouse is not a band that feels beholden to repeating the same setlist night after night—in fact, that loose approach is part of what makes each show special. Will they start with “Float On” or skip it altogether? It’s a ride with their setlist, so don’t try to trust what you read on the internet from the night before to predict your show! Tonight’s version of Modest Mouse swapped in different cuts with a lush light production that was simply grand. Massive lights flooded the venue with pink and green hues while fog machines veiled the stage in shifting atmospherics. Beams of light stabbed through the haze, at times the visuals were big and bright washes, other moments of stark contrast, silhouettes cast over the fog. The effect was super immersive despite it being a bigger venue. I love a show that feels somewhat dreamlike and cinematic, and this had all the feels.

Modest Mouse is a heavier band than most people would expect and I loved the way they played with their setlist without going through the motions of well-known songs just to please (or appease) fans. They definitely had fun, didn’t phone it in, and delivered a ton of killer, dance-worthy songs, including:

3rd Planet
Gravity Rides Everything
Dark Center of the Universe
Perfect Disguise
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
Play Video
A Different City
The Cold Part
Alone Down There
The Stars Are Projectors
Wild Packs of Family Dogs
Paper Thin Walls
I Came as a Rat
Lives
Life Like Weeds
What People Are Made Of
Parting of the Sensory
Lampshades on Fire
The View
Out of Gas
Third Side of the Moon
Interstate 8
Night on the Sun

This was an excellent pairing and quite a bit of musical bang for your buck (unless you came to just hear “Float On”!), that’s for sure! | Laura Jerele