Modest Mouse Bring A Massive Crowd To The Sylvee

The Sylvee, Madison, hosted Indie rock band Modest Mouse on September 29th with Caroline Rose supporting. I had only known Modest Mouse from their 2004 album "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" with their huge hit song "Float On". At the time I had no idea the band had been around since 1996 and here in 2026 didn't know they were still active with a handful of albums and a brand new release! I wanted to change up my usual metal/rock adventure and wanted the chance to see Modest Mouse.

I wasn't sure who Caroline Rose was when I saw name her on the bill, but I wanted to make sure I was there to check her out. When I got there, the crew was setting up her stage, I noticed a keyboard and was intrigued to see what she had to offer. Two members of her band, drummer and keyboardist/guitar player came out first, then Caroline Rose carrying a silly blowup doll. She had explained a few songs in that their fourth member of the band couldn't join the tour so they replaced him, it was a pretty funny joke. Later on she ended up tossing the doll in the crowd. Her style matched that of Modest Mouse and they were very enjoyable to watch. She had a great voice and the band put on a good opening set.

So far it was a nice chill night, I was ready to see Modest Mouse. As I was making my way through the crowd to the photo pit, I had noticed how thick the crowd was getting. I've been to The Sylvee now 7-8 times this year, between covering shows and going as just a fan, and this has to be one of the biggest crowds I've seen so far. It definitely was a surprise to me, even the upstairs balcony was packed! The band came out and immediately started playing "Dogbed in Heaven/Give It a Skeleton", this one I did not know. It was a very mellow, slower song. It kind of reminded me of something cosmic, especially with the lighting, or sitting around a campfire under the stars with a guitar. I'm probably way off from what the idea of the song is supposed to represent but that was the feeling I got, it was very enjoyable but also very different from what most bands open their show with. Usually they come out with a loud fast song to get the crowd going.

As the show went on their energy picked up, Isaac Brock was all over the stage with his guitar, it was a little hard to keep up but it was fun! I loved seeing the energy all over and it reflected onto the crowd. The crowd got thicker as even more fans made their way closer to the stage. I even saw one little girl with her Dad up against the barricade having a great time.

I was done taking photos and made my way around the venue to check out every area, the upstairs VIP balcony was full of fans, I don't see that every show! Looking down from the balcony I really saw how thick the crowd was, they really do have a massive following and I had no idea until I saw it during the show.

While walking back down to the GA area I had noticed something I didn't see before, how multigenerational the crowd was. There were people in their 50's/60's all the way down to young college aged kids, I know Modest Mouse has been around for 30 years but it's nice to see the original die hard fans from day one to newer, younger fans. The best part is seeing all of them, no matter the age, come together and just enjoy a night of music. That's what music is all about, coming together and forgetting about life for a few hours, letting go, being and enjoying the moment. That's why I love what I'm able to do, even if I'm not as familiar with the band/music, it's still ok to enjoy and come together with everyone else.