Whenever anyone floated the idea of doing a cruise to me, my immediate reaction was Ozzy Man’s “Yeah, nah” line. Rotavirus outbreaks, institutional-grade food choices, seasickness, blocked sewage lines – you don’t have to do a lot of research to find examples of how a cruise can go marvelously awry. But the lineup looked great, it was a chance to see Modest Mouse play some songs they rarely write down on a set list, and the Boston winter was well worth escaping from- all systems go for Miami!
When the cruise was first announced, Modest Mouse was slated to play three sets, along with a rare Ugly Casanova show, the side-project that Isaac Brock started in the late ’90s and who hadn’t played a live show since 2002. It wasn’t clear until the initial schedule rolled out a week or so before the event was going to start that all the bands would be playing at least two if not three shows, which made catching all the acts immune from schedule overlaps if you wanted. However, Modest Mouse’s sets were quietly changed to just two now, as well as the Ugly Casanova set.
I’d never been on a cruise ship before so I wasn’t sure what the stage capacities were like, but none of them ever felt crowded. Sure, the rail birds would show up early at the pool stage to ensure prime viewing at the largest stage on the Pool Deck, but the Stardust Theatre’s seated layout offered plenty of great vantage spots. The third stage was tucked in under O’Sheehan’s (proof that you can find an Irish bar anywhere on this planet), offering bi-level viewing, and the smallest room (Spinnaker Lounge) was high up and forward on the ship, as the name implies.
There are two sides to tropical weather, and the one featured predominantly on ads include beaming sunshine, light breezes and warm temps. There’s also wet and windy weather that blows through the Caribbean, and three days before departure Miami experienced a low of 35F. Cabana wear doesn’t include fur, wool, or down. This unsettled weather pattern made for a game-time decision to re-arrange Modest Mouse’s first set, which was truncated to a half-dozen songs done in acoustic mode before they departed the stage, with an Ugly Casanova deep track (“Here’s To Now” from the 180° South (Conquerors Of The Useless) soundtrack) tucked in for foreshadowing.
In addition to the ten bands and one comedian performing, there were plenty of other ways to spend your time that didn’t include staking out a space on the deck and reading a book, or drinking a piña colada in one of the hot tubs. Bingo sessions hosted by David Cross, trivia rounds emcee’d by Mannequin Pussy or Mattress, yoga sessions, autograph sessions with the bands, Brock delivering an MST3K-style live commentary (grab a bag of free popcorn as you find a seat in the theatre) to a screening of “The Devil’s Advocate,” late night DJ sets and karaoke sessions, getting a last minute tattoo, or throwing away money at the casino – there was no excuse for any bored downtime unless that’s what you were seeking. Additionally, enterprising fans were busy before the cruise, making any number of Modest Mouse-related tchotchkes ranging from stickers and 3D printed cockroaches and fridge magnets that they freely distributed to fellow fans. Oh, and during the Q&A session with Isaac, we learned that every question can be also answered with the word “Bass.”
Califone was a late addition to the schedule, in place of FIDLAR and their inclusion made a lot of sense since leader Tim Rutili was a member of Ugly Casanova, along with fellow lineup mate Pall Jenkins who brought along his Black Heart Procession mates. They represented the moodier end of the spectrum, and were more suited to the indoor stages rather than roasting in the sun, clad all in black while on the Pool Stage. Brock had mentioned Jenkins showed him the possibilities of a much wider sonic palette, including bowing a handsaw that lent otherworldly quivering tones to the songs.
The heavy hitters of the rest of lineup included Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile and the Violators and fellow PacNW’ers Built To Spill who are no strangers to playing with Modest Mouse. PTM played after the ‘fan chosen deep cuts’-sourced Modest Mouse set (more on that later) and they must have felt the sonic attack that Tropical Fuck Storm unleashed in the Stardust, blasting out the gate with some gnarly, knotted guitar work courtesy of Liv Slingerland on “Denali” and the thrashy “Pittman Ralliers.” This was not the sound I expected from the band whose dancey, vocal-driven “Feel It Still” is about the only song I was familiar with. There were plenty of people who were out in force for both of their pool deck shows, not surprising given their upbeat, poppy approach, and a nice treat for fans came during their second set when they decided to play The Satanic Satanist in full.
Since the initial Modest Mouse set was truncated, people’s appetites for rocking out were at maximum level and late comers to the Stardust Theatre to see Built To Spill were turned away as the room was at capacity. Doug Martsch has assembled yet another lineup, and the rhythm section of Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra are a formidable foil to Martsch’s stellar guitar work. Of all the bands not named Modest Mouse on the cruise, they took the most liberties in changing up their set lists, with just eight songs repeated over the three shows. It’s not like they went super deep but then again they have a lot of beloved songs from which to pull from, and fan faves like “The Plan,” “Goin’ Against Your Mind,” “Big Dipper,” “Carry The Zero,” and “Car” were played only once, along with the on-point “Kicked It In The Sun” played on the sun-drenched Pool Stage. It was very sweet that Martsch dedicated “Twin Falls” in each set to his mom, who was on the cruise. What a nice son!
Kurt Vile and The Violators took over the Stardust stage next, with a noticeable pitch and roll courtesy of the ocean. The stage backdrops were a good signpost to confirm that it was indeed the boat that was moving and not the effect of necking drinks all day long on the boat, though in certain cases I’m sure that couldn’t be ruled out. Vile and the band put on their game face and met the challenge head on, with Vile later remarking to me that the ship’s shifting made it easier to enable his Neil Young mode, clomping and stomping on the stage while he ripped out some solos on a big Gretsch hollow body; if you squinted hard enough, the flannel and dangling hair and that big fat guitar tone conjured Shakey.
Having survived the first show, the elements tossed another curve ball at the band the next day. The main stage had some weather move in; no storms but a pretty strong and persistent wind appeared that played havoc with Kyle Spence’s cymbals and a consistent howl was apparent through the mics. “Not my favorite” remarked Vile, as his constantly wind-whipped hair distracted to the point of him tossing his MF Doom hat on to keep things a bit more corralled. Near the scheduled end of their set, a production crew member gave him a gesture indicating to shut things down. Instead, Vile soldiered on. “I would die for you guys” he pledged to the crowd, and proceeded with the epic “Wakin’ On A Pretty Day” bringing the set to its ordained close.
With FIDLAR a late scratch, that left Mannequin Pussy and Tropical Fuck Storm as the adrenaline merchants. Mannequin Pussy’s driving songs perfectly encapsulate their t shirt back design: Loud Bark Deep Bite. The many different stripes of their lineup echoed positivity and inclusivity, bringing a crowd to match.
For me, Tropical Fuck Storm was the band that made buying a ticket a no-brainer. Having just missed previous shows in Boston and Dublin, I was determined to finally see them, though I was lucky enough to see Gaz and Fiona play with The Drones a few times. Unabashedly primal, the 3:1 female to male ratio doesn’t tip their aggressive sound into the machismo realm, the fate of a lot of similar bands. Non-stop jugular attack, these Australians fuse North African rhythms with a ferocious stage presence. With Gaz straining for the mic like Lemmy, the band is fearless and invincible, mowing down anything in its path. They played the cavernous Stardust Stage first, and Gaz remarked at the fair number of empty sets with “I guess we’re the cool kids” and walked off the stage saying “Tell a friend.”
Word of mouth was effective, as their next two shows were definitely fuller. “Braindrops” is the perfect opening song for people unfamiliar with the band, it’s shadowboxing rhythms from Fiona and Hammel counterpunched by Erica’s staccato guitar attack while Gaz howls his guts out. They are a band that leave nothing left in the tank each and every show, drenched with sweat and thoroughly spent. “It’s good to be on a boat full of kooks” remarked Gaz towards the tail of their final performance at the Spinnaker, the room full with recent converts. Side note – I heard that the boat captain’s quarters were located on the floor directly below the stage, and he was less than impressed with the sonic blast he had to endure for 75 minutes. A final word on TFS: they usually cover a song from a couple of pivotal Australian bands, and over the course of the three nights we got both. Erica led a blistering take of The Saints’ “This Perfect Day” as well as their super fun version of Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” that closed down the last of the concerts for the trip, and what a way to end it.
If you needed some laughs, Ice Cream Floats had you covered as well. I’ve seen David Cross a few times and he always delivers, and the main bit about the massage parlor that opened near his house was gold. He also brought his quick wit with him as co-host of a bingo contest, where a tiebreaker went to the person who dropped out of high school.
Mattress entered my world when Rex Marshall was chosen to open one some of the dates when Modest Mouse performed The Lonesome Crowded West a few years ago. I was caught by surprise then but knew what was in store this time, and he did not disappoint. “I was hoping for a submarine, but this ship will do” before starting his first set. Gold cape? Check. Gold lamé suit? Check. Bespoke loafers (or as he put it, his work shoes)? Check. Marshall’s schtick is pretty simple and devastatingly on target. Pre-programmed beats with a semi-stream of consciousness vocal delivery, riffing on things like the buffet, our increasingly devolving society, and living in a car. He’s a weird hybrid of crooner phase Nick Cave and a less histrionic and more self-effacing Ian Svenonius but 100% Rex Marshall, a true low-key highlight of the entire event.
But the band(s) that clearly was the main draw was Isaac Brock and his bandmates in both Modest Mouse and Ugly Casanova, and the number of different Modest Mouse t shirts on display over four days was pretty impressive. The second Modest Mouse set was sourced from fan-based song voting and was pitched as a rarities set, but when Brock got to the mic he said “You’re all some low hanging fruit motherfuckers. You made our jobs easy!” That said, they did kick off with a true (and topically relevant) rarity of “March Into The Sea,” just the third time the band has ever played it live. Other nautically-minded songs were sprinkled in, such as the fan favorite “Dramamine (the lilting meter of this track perfectly mimics rocking to the ocean’s currents),” “Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset,” “Missed The Boat” and “Ocean Breathes Salty,”
I could take or leave hearing “Float On” for the millionth time, but hearing “Cowboy Dan” and set closer “Spitting Venom” won’t get any pushback from me. A couple of tracks from the Interstate 8 EP also found their way into the set; “Sleepwalking” and “Edit The Sad Parts” were definitely treats for the hardcore fans. I give the band credit for the possibility of a heavy deep-track laden set list, but overall it felt a bit like a missed opportunity especially when compared to the same gambit that Wilco offered their fans at 2024’s Solid Sound Festival.
(Kudos to the band for squeezing in a day 3 set, playing 2000’s The Moon And Antarctica in full. When Brock got on stage in the mid-afternoon sun he realized he made a tactical error by leaving his sunglasses in his room and then got barraged by a fusillade of sunglasses when he asked for a pair. After deciding an early pair wasn’t up to the job, he asked for more and a fiscally irresponsible person lobbed their Ray-Bans up there, which Isaac gladly donned).
But in a definitive way, the Ugly Casanova set scratched that rarities itch and then some, deep enough to draw blood. Decked out in a beekeeper suit (ironically, the short “Bee Sting” was not played), Brock took the stage with all of Modest Mouse, Tim Rutili, Pall Jenkins and Suzy Shinn and basically played most of the 2002 record. I can’t say I was familiar with the record back in the day, and while there’s no escaping Brock’s vocal delivery and style that brings strong parallels to his more famous band, there was a delicacy and preciseness to the material that sometimes gets lost in the bigger sounding Modest Mouse songs. Wisely, Brock shuffled “So Long To The Holidays” to close the set, and while there was still one day left, it was a poignant reminder that this escape from reality we all participated in wasn’t gonna last forever. The new friendships and shared experiences will certainly live on, and the unexpected gifts the band provided (signed poster, unique flexidisc, and viewfinder with photos Brock took) were really cool souvenirs.
Bonus content of Modest Mouse t shirts:
