NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Indie rock was in full swing at ArtPark last night as nineties stalwarts The Pixies and Modest Mouse stopped by in the midst of their co-headlining tour across the US. The Pixies released their eighth studio album (fourth with the current lineup) “Doggerel” in September of last year. Modest Mouse released their fifth studio album “The Golden Casket” in 2021. With doors at 5pm, fans had gathered early to the sold out venue, relaxing on blankets, chatting with fellow fans, and even playing a little hackysack!
Singer/songwriter Cat Power (aka Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall) opened the show. Her indie rock/blues set was a nice chill way to kick off the evening. It was interesting watching her sing with two mics at the same time! She obviously wants to control her sound meticulously. I’ve seen multiple mics but never both used at the same time.
Modest Mouse were the second act this night. I say night but the sun was just starting to set. They kicked off their set with an oldie, 2004’s “Bury Me With It”. Lead vocalist Issac Brock was in fine form throughout the evening. As expected, their big hit “Float On” got the biggest reaction from the capacity crowd.
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By the time the Pixies hit the stage, the sun had set and the bright back stage lights made for quite the visuals with strobes and shadows. They also opened with an oldie, “Gouge Away” from 1989. The band sounded incredible and had fans singing along and dancing. Never one for words, they transitioned from song to song with little fanfare. All in all, they played a very satisfying twenty three song set, closing with a cover of Neil Young’s “Winterlong”.
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