It was an exceptional night of music when Modest Mouse and Built to Spill came to The Anthem to play a fantastic set of ’90s-era indie music. Seeing both sensational ’90s bands on the same night at a great venue such as The Anthem made the show one of the best of the year for the DC metropolitan area! The show was exactly what the doctor ordered. If you get the chance to see this tour, don’t miss out.
While it took some in attendance a while to get to the venue on Oct. 18, the show was pretty close to capacity as fans were standing and running around the venue all evening. At one point, a guy came running by apparently high-fiving and/or hand-slapping other attendees as he was having a blast and in great form. The fans were rambunctious this night, and having an incredible evening of adrenaline filled music helped fuel the fire.
Built to Spill, a three-piece band from Boise, Idaho, started the show in phenomenal form, playing a great version of “Strange” to start off the gig. Doug Martsch, the leader of the band and only remaining original member was in fantastic form playing his signature fusion inspired guitar licks throughout the band’s set and super eclectic vocals on such tracks as “The Plan.”
“Strange” in my opinion is one of those songs that sets the tone of the band with catchy lyrics and bass thumping during the song, as well as great drumming. The rest of the current Built to Spill lineup consists of Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums. The current lineup compliments the set greatly with outstanding musicianship forming a very tight rhythm section for the band.
Watch Built to Spill play “Strange” live at Pickathon on YouTube:
Built to Spill played a set of nine songs. One of the finer moments was the guitar-heavy “Wherever You Are” over halfway through the set. The song has a great classic sound and feel to it, almost reminiscent of a Beatles tune. Built to Spill ended their set with “Carry the Zero,” one of their finest songs — or simply put: a monumental rock number.
Modest Mouse took the stage opening with “3rd Planet” from The Moon and Antarctica LP, which is a slow song with an acoustic beginning that evolves into a great rock number. Issac Brock, the only member of the current band from the original 1990s lineup, was fantastic — and he remains a capable band leader. The sound and tone from the band was consistent and spellbinding throughout the show. “Perfect Disguise” with beautiful acoustic guitar, and vocals, and “Alone Down There” with fantastic lyrics and vocals were two songs that really highlighted the band at their best. The music of Modest Mouse rocks and has great lyrical content.
Watch Modest Mouse perform “Perfect Disguise” live for Q101 on YouTube:
Brock conversed well with the audience during key breaks of the show and played 25 songs with grand versions of the amazing “Whale Song” and “Float On” before closing the awesome evening with “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” a Beatles cover song. “Float On” is one of their best songs ever in my opinion and highlights the band at their finest with superb guitar riffs, alternative-punk-indie vocals, and drums at their finest.
Modest Mouse are currently touring the USA, and watching this bill with Built to Spill was a great opportunity to see two of the greatest bands of the ’90s on the same night.
Setlist for Built to Spill
1. Strange
2. The Plan
3. Tomorrow
4. Liar
5. Living Zoo
6. Wherever You Go
7. The Mountain
8. Virginia Reel Around the Fountain
9. Carry the Zero
Setlist for Modest Mouse
1. 3rd Planet
2. Gravity Rides Everything
3. Dark Center of the Universe
4. Peace Love and Hippie Shit
5. Perfect Disguise
6. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
7. A Different City
8. The Cold Part
9. Alone Down There
10. The Stars Are Projectors
11. Wild Packs of Family Dogs
12. Paper Thin Walls
13. I Came as a Rat
14. Lives
15. Life Like Weeds
16. What People Are Made Of
17. Main Title and First Victim
18. Broke
19. Lampshades on Fire
20. Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
21. The Whale Song
22. Little Motel
23. Float On
24. Fly Trapped in a Jar
25. Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Here are some photos of Modest Mouse performing live at The Anthem on Oct. 18, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Built to Spill performing live at The Anthem on Oct. 18, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
