Saturday, October 12th felt like the beginning of fall when thousands of fans lined up at least two hours early for a sold-out show at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. for a mega-show headlined by alt rock band Modest Mouse and the garage and blues rock band, The Black Keys.
Up-and-coming artist Jesse Wilson took the stage first, a commanding visual rock ‘n roll presence as a near-bald-headed young woman twinkling with glitter and a fringed jean jacket, strangely conjuring a comparison to the late Janis Joplin (minus the mane) with her energy, movement and passionate performance. Wilson’s power, energy and voice were memorable.
Modest Mouse – one of my favorite bands for the last 10 years – opened Act Two. It was my first time seeing them up so close and I was excited to hear some of my favorite songs. Sadly, I had to wait through the entire set to hear any song I was waiting for, but I was thoroughly entertained when Dashboard came on. Sound was the biggest problem. While Modest Mouse rocked the house as best they could, I was disappointed that I could not hear some of the instruments – and heard ear-splitting feedback at other times. This may have been due to MM using their own sound engineer. Since I’ve seen Modest Mouse several times, I know they normally sound just as good live as they do recorded. Long-time fans were challenged to wait for any of the band’s best songs, and I felt that not falling back on old favorites didn’t showcase Modest Mouse’s true talent, considering how established the band is. They closed by simply walking off stage.
Finally, The Black Keys took their places before an energetic crowed. The Black Keys are touring after a near 5-year hiatus. The band is touring in support of their 2019 release, Let’s Rock, which has been well received. The show at The Anthem quickly sold out, despite the higher-than-usual price for concert tickets. Due to high demand, a second show date at The Anthem was added for October 16th. After hearing the new album, I was very excited to see such a talented group of musicians up close. Regrettably, sound problems plagued the show again, and I was disappointed that the band did not sound as good live as they do on their records.
If you went to see a couple of real rock bands tear up the stage, this line-up may not have been for you. The Black Keys, and especially Modest Mouse, seemed not to move with their music or work the stage. Instead, they relied on their set, the lighting and the video background to do the work for them. The climax of the Black Keys performance was actually not musical, but when the stage curtains dropped revealing huge lights and a video screen.
Were they just not that into us? I wonder.
Here are photos of all three bands performing on Saturday, October 12th, at The Anthem in D.C. All photos copyright and courtesy of Magdelana Papaioannou.
