Modest Mouse closed out their fall tour on Wednesday night at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The show featured the band playing their 2000 album The Moon & Antarctica in its entirety, as well as an opening set by fellow Pacific Northwest indie-rock darlings Built to Spill.
Built to Spill, led by its only constant member Doug Martsch, took the stage at 8 p.m., and played a 50-minute career-spanning set, filled with extended jams. Although bassist Melanie Radford and drummer Teresa Esguerra have only been in the band since 2019, they’ve developed a nice musical vibe with Martsch, who dedicated the set closer “Car” to Modest Mouse in recognition of the show being the last gig on the joint tour.
At roughly 9:30 p.m., Modest Mouse walked out onstage and jumped right into the infectious “3rd Planet,” the lead track on on The Moon & Antarctica. From there, frontman Isaac Brock and company performed the entire LP in sequential order, including standout songs like “Gravity Rides Everything,” “A Different City,” and the raucous album closer, “What People Are Made Of.”
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At the conclusion of the full-album set, the band walked offstage, and remained out of sight for a good several minutes, before returning for an encore. Here’s where Brock and his bandmates mixed things up, straying from the written setlist, and playing “Baby Blue Sedan” by audience request. A cover of The Cure’s “A Forest” followed, leading to favorites “Fuck Your Acid Trip,” “Ocean Breathes Salty,” “King Rat,” and the closing number, “Bukowski.”
While there were likely some first-timers disappointed in not hearing the ubiquitous “Float On,” it was clear the majority of the crowd was thrilled with seeing Modest Mouse perform one of their best albums in celebration of its 25th anniversary, along with a number of other classics. Isaac Brock’s voice sounded strong within the beautiful acoustics of the dome-like Capitol Theatre, while the rest of the band was in top form.
The Port Chester show put a wrap on Modest Mouse’s 2025 touring, but fans can catch the band headlining their own Ice Cream Floats cruise, featuring Portugal. The Man, David Cross, Mannequin Pussy, and more. The ship sets sail from Miami on February 5th.
See our photos, along with fan-filmed video, and the setlist from Modest Mouse’s show at the Capitol Theatre below.
Modest Mouse Setlist:
The Moon & Antarctica Full Performance:
3rd Planet
Gravity Rides Everything
Dark Center of the Universe
Perfect Disguise
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
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
Encore:
Baby Blue Sedan
A Forest (The Cure cover)
Fuck Your Acid Trip
Ocean Breathes Salty
King Rat
Bukowski