Modest Mouse Fires it Up in St. Augustine

June 11th, 2025 - St. Augustine, Florida

Modest Mouse came to St. Augustine on June 11th as the third stop on their 2025 tour. With them, they brought their experimental indie rock sound, stunning light design, and a weird story about a turtle Issac Brock saw on the beach earlier; more about that later. Fans of all ages gathered, drinks in hand, ready to spend the next hour and a half celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album Good News for People who Love Bad News.

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre brought its own unique charm that had paired well with the atmosphere the band would bring. It was centered in the heart of the historic town of St. Augustine, and was a ten minute walk from the gorgeous beaches of the upper east coast of Florida. Spanish moss hung down from nearly every tree, the air was warm and crisp and the setting sun threw beams through the leaves of the trees. It was beautiful and exciting in a way that is different from indoor shows.

At 8pm sharp, Modest Mouse took the stage, opening with my personal favorite song of theirs, “3rd Planet.” It came as a surprise to hear it at all, since I had studied the setlists from the two previous shows, which both did not even include that song. Each of their shows, the song order is completely jumbled, which made things a lot more exciting. The audience seemed to agree, with everyone standing by the time the song was over.

The band played a mixture of songs throughout the night, most being from the anniversary album. Around the middle of the set, they smoothly transitioned into “Float On,” one of their most popular songs. This was easily the crowd’s favorite. Even from the very last seat of the ampitheatre (where I was), in a nearly sold-out show, the sound of the crowd carried.

Image Via Instagram

As “Float On” came to a close, Brock took the opportunity to talk about a sea turtle he had seen earlier that day on the beach. I only heard bits and pieces of the story, but from what I gathered, this is what happened: A turtle was hanging out somewhere on the beach. Brock and company thought it was a cool sight and decided to take a video. This, according to Brock, pissed the turtle off, so in retaliation the turtle starting using the bathroom. That’s it.

Perhaps it was a story meant to represent something much bigger. Maybe we are the turtle trying to fight society. Maybe it was just a turtle.

As the main set came to an early close with the song “Night On the Sun,” and the stage filled with darkness, I couldn't help but wish they'd stay longer. The sun had only just set, and the night was still young. A majority of the crowd agreed. Nearly everyone stayed in their seats and waited. I wasn't sure what we were waiting for until I overheard gossip of an encore, which spread, eagerly turning into a chant from the crowd. Like clockwork, in just about 15 minutes and one outfit change later, Issac and the band returned on stage. The lights started back up, and all of the sudden the amphitheatre was filled with cheers. The few dozen people who started to leave rushed back, and we stayed and danced for another five songs, including another favorite, “Cowboy Dan.”

This show was very special. My boyfriend and I drove from Ft. Lauderdale just to catch Modest Mouse before they left Florida, and it was so worth it. The lights were exciting and dramatic, the music was great, and the sound carried well to the back of the ampitheatre. I hope to one day see them again in the heart of St. Augustine.