Modest Mouse draw impressive crowd at McKay Center

Matt Costa and Rilo Kiley play in house with Modest Mouse

Fans packed the McKay Events Center on Monday, Sept. 10, to see indie supergroup Modest Mouse perform with Rilo Kiley and Matt Costa as part of a current west coast tour.

It was an extremely eventful evening which began with a very relaxed set by young singer/songwriter Matt Costa. Costa performed tracks from his 2005 album, Songs We Sing, and other various songs from EPs and singles he has put out since 2003. The Orem crowd was very receptive to Costa's Jack Johnson style deliveries performed with his travelling troupe.

Rilo Kiley presented what some fans may consider was the best performance on the night. Really Jenny Lewis and crew put on a rather standard performance of their new material from Under The Blacklight. Their sound was definitely right on, but their presence on stage wasn't exactly impressive.

Beyond Jenny Lewis' random get-up of black leather, black nylons and high heels, there really wasn't much else happening on stage with Rilo Kiley. It could have been anybody up on stage with the band playing somewhere off the side of the stage and it would have created the same effect. Overall, Rilo Kiley were good, but with all the standing around and just swaying to the beats made it less than complete.

The lack of completion was more than filled with an electric performance by the revamped Modest Mouse lineup, which, of course, now includes former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who joined the group during the production of their latest release, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Not only did the lineup feel more complete, but the songs felt fuller and stronger even than some of their studio tracks.

Isaac Brock, Eric Judy and the rest of the crew took the stage, which featured a spectacular two-drum setup, with clear plastic masks and an intense performance of "Bury Me With It" from Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Right from the get go the band attacked every song with captivating stage presence, precision sound and a passion for the music they have created.

The crowning song in their set was when they pumped out a pounding rendition of the "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes." The extended version of the song epitomized a set of songs which included unique performances of singles like "Dashboard," "Float On," and "We've Got Everything."

Isaac Brock's between song banter wasn't too bad either. He made off the wall commentary that matched his quirky one-liners that make up the lyrics to a lot of the bands songs. Johnny Marr's dry wit was quite delightful as well. But other than the occasional witty remark, Marr pretty much stayed in his corner and let his guitar genius speak for him.

Capping the night off with a phenomenal encore, which included "Spitting Venom," Modest Mouse made their mark on the crowd at the McKay Events Center. A show that looked to be a fairly good show turned out to be an incredible evening of live music, mostly due to the untouchable indie genius of Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse.