IT BEGINS! B&S Tickets

Originally posted by bearman:
I dunno…hopefully not. I'm not taking any chances, though a little earlier would be good. I'm getting old!!

Sorry, my FAQ response was incorrect (twice in a week, I must be getting old too). Better take a nap this afternoon.

so so psyched for the show tonight …

anybody have recent setlists?

I posted some setlists on page 3.

Any thoughts on last night? I have a setlist to post once I get home.

I loved Belle and Sebastian. What an awkward group of people. There were moments last night that were just beautiful. New Pornographers were nothing special, I only wish they had played that damn "Graceland" song.

Originally posted by Graace:
Any thoughts on last night? I have a setlist to post once I get home.

I loved Belle and Sebastian. What an awkward group of people. There were moments last night that were just beautiful. New Pornographers were nothing special, I only wish they had played that damn "Graceland" song.

were you the girl yelling for that when they ended up playing "Testament to Youth in Verse?"

I thought both bands were outstanding last night.

So who all is going tonight…

The New Porns were a bit of a disappointment, though that's a harsh term. Kathryn Calder was sick and her voice was completely shot. So alot of the harmonies were lost.

let it be known that this is not my scene at all. i'm a hardcore/metal nut. but, there's a special place in my heart for the new pornographers, simply because they're so freakin catchy. and i got stuck with an extra pair of tickets, so i made the drive last night.

let it also be known that prior to last night, i had heard very little belle&sebastian; not because I didn't want to, but because everytime I get introduced to one of these overhyped indie bands, all they do is let me down and anger me. so i was there for the porns. they were fantastic. even though katheryn (she looks like a boy! what!) was sick, they were still (almost) dead on. or as dead on as you could be while your backup female singer was sick. really enjoyable set.

i decided to stick around for B&S, because the girl was with was really into them. so i decided to suck it up and stick around. wow. what a group of people. what a group of musicians. I did not hear one song last night that I did not like; and I take back every derogatory thing I ever said about this band. They are amazing. I was simply blown away; and my next few paychecks will be dedicated to purchasing their collection and finding out what i've missed.

something else that really made the show last night was the crowd. when i came for bloc party, the crowd was completely dead (go figure. dc) and nobody was dancing, moving, or even responding for the most part. that really ruined the show for me, and i was expecting the same thing here. and while i got it for the new porns, when b&s came on, that all changed. people were actaully MOVING! some were king of dancing! they were clapping! they were yelling out songs! they were laughing! I never expected so much interaction from the indie capital of the world. i was shocked.

and one more thing. i've been to a lot of shows in my day; and never before have i seen 2 bands that had such entertaining things to say inbetween songs. there was no "yeah DC! FUCK THIS!" bullshit. they were humerous, and real. and that is something i appreciate.

if i could find tickets, i'd make the drive from Richmond to see the show again tonight. most fun i've had in a long time.

Here's a rough setlist:

Stars of Track and Field
Another Sunny Day
Funny Little Frog
A Century of Fakers
Sukie in the Graveyard
Electronic Renaissance
We Are the Sleepyheads
To Be Myself Completely
Dress Up In You
Meat and Potatoes
I Don't Love Anyone
Your Covers Blown
Simple Things
Jonathan David
I'm a Cuckoo
String Bean Jean
White Collar Boy
The State I Am In
——————
Fox in the Snow
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying

I really, really enjoyed the show, though Get Me Away was a weak closer I thought. Sleep the Clock Around will hopefully close the show tonight (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). That's probably my favorite song of theirs, though I have so many. Had a great time…Bags, it was awesome to see you again. I'm looking forward to tonight's show. Stuart putting on the tiny v-neck shirt was pretty classic. All in all, a fantastic time. New Pornos were good, though I didn't know what to expect from their live show. I did hear a lot of songs of theirs that I enjoy, so that was cool.

The New Pornographers were a disappointment last night. I've seen way better performances from them, particularly last fall's tour (with Neko and that dude from Destroyer-who also opened the show). Still, it's nice to see them on a bill with B&S. B&S were simply amazing! I'm lucky to see them in such a small venue (they are playing at a shitty 10,000 seat venue in San Francisco-the reason I decided to fly to DC). The crowd was also great.

Your comment about Bloc Party - it's hard to get excited once you see them live. They are far way better on record, than live, imho.

hmmm i prefer Bloc Party live and remixed… the record is good, but it sounds like they are trying to hard, i like Kele's voice when it's muted in some of the remixed version.

While some early B&S fans are miffed at the new more polished pop direction the band is taking, I applaud it and think it will bring in more fans… The early Nick Drake-lite records while good to listen just faded into the background. My favorite early B&S track is still "Legal Man" which is now an indicator of what the band has become.

last nite was the first time i saw b&s and they were superb. the new pornographers, whose catalog i have, sucked. they are one boring live band.

Funny, Belle and Sebastian and especially the New Pornos really had nothing very witty in their between song banter in NYC. Maybe they saved it all for DC.

But I guess it's all relative. If all you typically go to are harcore and metal shows, the B&S banter is probably going to sound downright insirational in comparison.

For great hysterically funny between song banter, try a Robbie Fulks show.

B&S's banter always seems kind of funny to me, they are just so unbelievably uncool that it actually makes them cool. They seem like ordinary people, until you see how talented they are, then they become extraordinary. The first time I saw them (in 1998) you could tell they still didn't know how to keep the flow of the performance going. I think they really enjoy performing live now, and it shows. I had a very fun time. I kind of wish I had seen the Philly show now.

Originally posted by chokeychicken:

let it also be known that prior to last night, i had heard very little belle&sebastian; not because I didn't want to, but because everytime I get introduced to one of these overhyped indie bands, all they do is let me down and anger me.

i decided to stick around for B&S, because the girl was with was really into them. so i decided to suck it up and stick around. wow. what a group of people. what a group of musicians. I did not hear one song last night that I did not like; and I take back every derogatory thing I ever said about this band. They are amazing. I was simply blown away; and my next few paychecks will be dedicated to purchasing their collection and finding out what i've missed.

warms my heart.

i'm going tonight. and judging by the omissions from last night ("act of apostle I-II", "blues are still blue", "dog on wheels", "le pastie.."…"song for sunshine"?)… i'm very psyched. "i don't love anyone" would've been nice though.

Originally posted by callat703:
were you the girl yelling for that when they ended up playing "Testament to Youth in Verse?"

I thought both bands were outstanding last night.

Yeah that was me. It came so close to happening like three times. "Testament. . " wasn't a bad replacement though.

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Funny, Belle and Sebastian and especially the New Pornos really had nothing very witty in their between song banter in NYC. Maybe they saved it all for DC.

Both bands were very "on" last night, so there was lots of chatter. I wouldn't say "witty", but they were chatty and it was natural, funny and cute.

Great show – I was fine with New Pornographers. Even with the lack of harmonies, I think their songs are catchy and fun, and it works live for me. And they did "Slow Descent," which was just what I needed.

B&S were great – I'm not too familiar with their catalogue, but had seen them before (at Constitution Hall). It was a lot of fun, they were very in to it, they do a really good job, and it was a good, long show.

Also good to see bearman and his crew, along with my posse who, god bless 'em, always dance! (Well, usually…)

Originally posted by bearman:
Here's a rough setlist:

….
Meat and Potatoes

The set list I got says that "Piazza, New York Catcher" was a possible addition right after that one. Would have been a nice addition, but I can't complain, a fantastic show overall. I was thrilled to hear "Your Cover's Blown."

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
hmmm i prefer Bloc Party live and remixed…

Ditto…they really brought it the first time I saw them at Black Cat.