Here is a review for a European show, as asked. I haven't sent it earlier because I cannot get on the website anymore. But I figured out a clever thing. So here it is. WARNING: The following is a long-winded review of the MM show in Dresden on Friday evening (July 2nd). For those not interested or with short attention spans, please scroll down. A lot. This is my first posting, though a long time member to the list. Since I live in Warsaw, I rarely get the chance to attend concerts/shows/performances of bands that I enjoy (e.g. Modest Mouse). When I learned (thanks to this list) that MM was touring Europe, well mostly Germany, I knew it would be my only chance to catch a glimpse of the boys. So my story begins... After a 10 hour train ride to Dresden I went to find the "Star Club" to purchase tickets. I had some bad luck in finding the club (I don't speak a word of German, making it difficult to get help from the locals) (although I did learn that "wasser" means water). The club turned out to be a house (kind of) in the middle of a cobble stone-street-cute-cottage-type of neighborhood. I was way too early but a nice man who spoke English (who later turned out to be the guy selling Built to Spill & Modest Mouse shirts/CDs) guaranteed me that I would be able to get in later that evening. So I went to a local Biergarten and got a little drunk, which turned out to be detrimental, as you will see later in this glorious tale. I returned to the club around nine-ish and immediately went to the table of merchandise with high hopes of purchasing the EP that I have heard so much about. Well... I am sorry to say that they are fresh out of that item. I found out later from Isaac, that only 700 were made and like I said, they are ALL GONE. Sad, true, but I bought one of those equally famous ugly green shirts with the yellow buffalo. I must say that it looks rather dapper on me. And so my first Modest Mouse show begins. The first thing I heard was a nifty, unrecognizable bass riff with a very adequate drum backing. This went on for about five minutes while Isaac's guitar and mic stand stood alone in the red and blue lights. Finally, from the bar, he emerged. For almost three years I have been a huge fan of this band, and not once have I ever seen what they look like. It was interesting to finally see their faces. I spoke with Eric later and he told me that they had made up this opening song the night before. I am not so sure about this, but maybe. Or perhaps he didn't say that, like I said, I was at a biergarten for two hours before the show. So I don't know the name of the song, but it was excellent. The next song they played was "Atmosphere", one of my favorites. Obviously, it kicked my ass. So the show went on and on as follows (to the best of my recollection): 1: (That song, thing) 2: Atmosphere 3: Dramamine 4: Polar Opposites 5: Doin' the Cockroach (WOW was it GOOD!) at this point they asked for requests and the first thing that came to my mind was "Dirty Fingernails". Isaac heard my request and asked the rest of the band if they wanted to play it. Eric responded with something I couldn't hear and they did not play it. Later, when I voiced my disappointment to Eric, he said he didn't have a particular pedal with him that he needed for the song. So the show went on... 6: (some slow thing that I couldn't hear the lyrics for) (still pretty damn good) 7: (sorry... another song I don't know, but Isaac was strumming his guitar while his left hand (rather than play notes) was holding the mic closer to his mouth. This was really good, and if anyone has any idea what I am talking about or what the name of the song is...help) (it is not on any CD. Except maybe the new EP) Then they asked for requests again. So me, being obnoxious and slightly intoxicated, called out for "Buttons to Push the Buttons". To which Isaac responded "We don't know that one". Too bad. So they finished the night with 8: Cowboy Dan (which I think is one of their weaker songs) And the show was over. I went into the bathroom (sorry, but it is relevant) and ran into Eric. Not a great place to meet someone, but he was an incredibly genuine and pleasant person. We hung out for a little while before Built to Spill got on stage (we left the bathroom obviously). Again, he was easy going and pretty talkative. (A bad joke is coming up) My girlfriend had gone to the bar to get me ANOTHER beer. When she returned, I was still talking with Eric (who incidentally, I think, said that he reads this list) and when she handed me the beer, I dropped it all over Eric (the joke is coming). I was apologetic, but he didn't mind and in fact, told me that he gets the beer for free, so he volunteered (here it comes) to get me another beer... on the "mouse"! (Get it? Well, it was true anyway). So I thought that was very nice of him, and if he does read this list (although I doubt if anyone has read this far into my novel), let me repeat that I am sorry about spilling beer on you. Thank you for the replacement. Built to Spill came on, and they were pretty good. I don't know a lot about them and I only own "Keep It Like a Secret", otherwise known as KILAS. And apparently, that is the crappy one, although I think it is pretty good. During BTS (another abbreviation I learned from the list), I saw Isaac standing alone at the side of the stage. I didn't want to bother him because a) I was drunk, b) I have heard that he is a dick. Well, because of "a)", I went over to him anyway. I introduced myself and thanked him for the show and was going to leave it at that. But... he, like Mr. Judy, was an awfully nice guy and seemed like he WANTED to talk to me. I think he was drunk too. So there we are. Drunk me and drunk Isaac. This is when I asked him about the EP and received the sad news. Then I asked him about Epic. He said that they did indeed just sign the deal. What happened next was amazing. He asked ME what I though about the whole Epic thing. I told him that they make great music, and they deserve to be rewarded. I don't give a shit whether or not they are on a major label and if someone offered my band an opportunity like that, I would do the same thing in a second. He seemed pleased by my opinion and went on to tell me that he too believes that and that he is sick of sleeping in a van and washing dishes to make extra money. He also said with more money, he thinks he can make better music. Some, I know, differ with this opinion, but believe me, it is the same band, and if money changes them, then oh well, they deserve the success for what they have already given us. Anyway, we had a great chat, and I had an incredible time in Dresden. That is all. Thanks for reading the whole thing. I must say in retrospect, I was kind of worried before I went to the show because my expectations were so high. And despite the shitty train rides and spending a wad of cash to get there and eat and sleep, the show was beyond worth it. One last thing... since I live in Poland (but I grew up in Phila, lived in Boston, just in case you were wondering), the phone lines are kind of slow, making the internet less than satisfactory. Therefore, I could not download those MP3s of the latest EP. If anyone still has them, or perhaps burned a CD of them, could you contact me and perhaps we can work something out? I could even receive them as file attachments via email (one a day of course), and I could offer you... um... a free place to stay in Warsaw? A free copy of my band (The Nasties) first CD "Drunk From the Blood of the Teddy Bear Picnic"? Not available in any store! Obviously. Be good. Christian [EMAIL PROTECTED] ps- why can't I get onto the web-site anymore?
