Frontman Jesse Lacey of Brand New
With pure professionalism and talent, Brand New and Modest Mouse rocked Chula Vista on Tuesday night.
Modest Mouse, creators of nine full length albums and countless other singles and splits, opened the concert at Sleep Train Amphitheater. For this tour, Brand New and Modest Mouse co-headlined, each set filled to the brim with tracks. The bands alternate set times each show, and San Diego drew Modest Mouse first, with Brand New following.
Modest Mouse blew me away. Every time a new song was played, a different band member would arrive on stage or switch places with another member. The entire set was filled with energy and enthusiasm, no one, whether audience or band member, had a moment to do anything other than focus, excitedly, on the music. The humble rodents know exactly what their fans wanted; hits like “Float On” and “Lampshades on Fire” as well as lesser known and older tunes like “Styrofoam Boots.” The band even took a request from an eager attendee and played “Gravity Rides Everything,” mentioning that requests were rare, and this was special.
The 45 minutes while Modest Mouse packed their equipment and Brand New set theirs up gave plenty of time for the former sad youngsters in the crowd to build their anticipation; Many concert-goers were reliving their youth, with some even displaying their adoration with tattoos of Brand New lyrics.
Finally, the emo rockers walked on stage and began their set with “Sink.” Each song that followed was sung louder by the crowd than by front man Jesse Lacey. Quiet moments were cherished during “Tautou” and the ever popular “Jesus Christ.” A recent release, “I Am A Nightmare” was played loud and proud—a tease for music to come.
Lacey reflected on their tour with Modest Mouse, describing how lovely it was to be in San Diego with temperate weather, the difficulty of their limited song choices compared to the expansive Modest Mouse discography, and of course, a thanks to all who have supported the tour and the bands who played it. The sea of people rejoiced as the bands who meant so much to them returned the favor.