Modest Mouse books a Monday night at Cain's Ballroom

Fresh off their first new music in five years, Modest Mouse plays Tulsa's historic ballroom on Mon, Dec 7, with Out in Front and Edgehill.

There's a banner over the stage at Cain's Ballroom that reads "Home of Bob Wills," and on Monday, Dec 7, it'll hang over a band that has never sounded much like Western swing. Modest Mouse plays Cain's Ballroom on Mon, Dec 7, with Out in Front and Edgehill. The show starts at 6:45 p.m., and tickets are through Cain's Ballroom. The date was announced Oct 20.

A Monday in December isn't when most people expect a big show, which is part of the appeal. Cain's holds 1,800, and the early 6:45 start means you can catch all three acts and still be home at a reasonable hour before work on Tuesday.

The timing is good for Modest Mouse, too. In March, the band released "Look How Far," featuring Janet Weiss — Under the Radar called it their first new song in five years. BrooklynVegan reported at the time that the band was adding shows to its 2026 tour, and Consequence covered the spring U.S. run that followed. A December stop in Tulsa extends a year that has seen the band back on the road and back in the conversation.

Out in Front and Edgehill fill out the bill. With a 6:45 start, the first act will be on early, so if you want to see the whole night, plan to head to the Brady District straight from work.

Then there's the room, which may be the best reason of all to go. Cain's Ballroom was built in 1924 by Tulsa entrepreneur Tate Brady and first served as a garage, according to the venue's own history. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys made it their home starting in 1935, and as KJRH reports, they played there for their popular radio broadcasts, filling the airwaves over KVOO at the noon hour. Wills played Cain's regularly until 1943, when he left Tulsa and his brother Johnnie Lee Wills took over. The ballroom struggled for years afterward, until Marie Myer sold it to rock concert promoter Larry Shaeffer in 1976. Pollstar marked its 100th birthday in 2024, noting it is still a very active concert venue.

That history is why touring bands of every stripe want to play here. A ballroom built for dancing a century ago still does what it was made for: puts a band on a low stage in front of a crowd standing close, under the same rafters where Wills' band once played.

What to know: Monday, Dec 7, doors ahead of a 6:45 p.m. start, three bands on the bill, tickets through the Cain's box office site. Shows at Cain's often sell out, so don't wait until the week of.

Some rooms make every show feel like an occasion. Cain's is one of them, even on a Monday.

Sources: Under the Radar: Modest Mouse share first new song in five years, Look How Far (undertheradarmag.com); BrooklynVegan: Modest Mouse tap Janet Weiss for new single, add shows to 2026 tour (brooklynvegan.com); Consequence: Modest Mouse announce 2026 spring US tour (concerts.consequence.net); Cain's Ballroom: History (cainsballroom.com); KJRH: Cain's Ballroom, the history behind Tulsa's historic music venue (kjrh.com); Pollstar: Cain's Ballroom remains hallowed ground (news.pollstar.com); Cain's Ballroom tickets (cainsballroom.com); JamBase: Modest Mouse at Cain's Ballroom (jambase.com)