As a live act, with two drum kits and, at one point, six people participating in percussion, Modest Mouse is definitely driven by its rhythm section. At Thursday night’s show, it was impressive to watch the complementing drummers pound away, working to coordinate seemingly disparate sonic elements into the cohesive sound that is Modest Mouse.

But then Isaac Brock chimed in with some vocals and the whole thing, unfortunately, sort of broke apart.

Usually, it is Brock who is driving the music. His lyrics and voice emit emotion that is both honest and unsettling. This is the signature of MM. But Thursday he and the rest of the band seemed too preoccupied attempting to recreate the studio production of their latest album, Good News for People Who Like Bad News, to actually come together as a musical unit.

During songs such as “Float On” and “The World At Large,” band members industriously ran around the stage tapping out keyboard licks and the odd extra bass line while also attending to the main structure of the songs. Maybe this can work, and for some bands it probably does, but the athleticism of it all seemed daunting and inhibitive.

Where MM shined was when playing songs from earlier albums and simpler songs. “Satin in a Coffin” was the first tune where all elements gelled, and that was half-way into the two-and-a-half hour show. Brock pulled out the old banjo and played convincingly against a stand-up base. The song marched along beautifully and Abercrombie-clad kids danced happily in the aisles. But then the song fell apart by ending abruptly and painfully.