The venue, probably the worst place to see a band was in the area, was totally packed. The club is a box with a low stage on one side, a big floor, balcony and no ventilation. I've seen a lot of bands there it's always a clusterfuck. I'd say this will be the last time I go there, but I've said that before.

The ticket said there would be one opening band. There were two. The first band was ... well, I don't know who they were. I only saw a song and a half, but they sounded good. The second was Mimicking Birds, who do the same quiet acoustic thing that Bon Iver does. I liked them, too. The drummer played with an exaggerated Keith Moon-like goofiness, though their music is nothing like The Who. He was fun to watch, at least.

Then there was a 45 minute gap where the temperature of that shitty boxy deathtrap of a club rose and rose, and I watched the same guitar tech tune the same guitar five times. Finally, Modest Mouse came out and played four or five of their Shout And Stomp ™ songs. The kind I hate.

This is the kind of Modest Mouse song I love:

And this is the kind of Modest Mouse song I hate:

And since I was already in a shitty mood, I gave up and left after four songs. I was pretty psyched about seeing Johnny Marr (formerly of The Smiths) but I couldn't see him at all; I could barely see anything; I was worried about the drunken frat guys around me kicking me in the calf where I just got tattooed; the sound sucked; the heat was stifling; it was late; I'm old. Fuck.

This is the view I would've had, If I was 8 feet tall: