The Belle and Sebastian set kind of peaked early for me; the first song was just perfect -- Stuart Murdoch, acoustic guitar, and "Stars of Track and Field." I could have gone home at that point. But instead I was treated to almost two hours of twee. Murdoch and Stevie Jackson's almost cringingly unselfconscious dancing were, in retrospect, perfect for all the lovable geekery on display. You almost wanted to give them a hug.
Here's the setlist, swiped from someone's hard work at a fan forum:
Stars of Track and Field
Another Sunny Day
If You're Feeling Sinister
Funny Little Frog
Sukie in the Graveyard (about a woman who went to the SF Art Institute? Or so Stuart said)
Song for Sunshine
Electronic Renaissance ("That sounded quite '80s, didn't you think?")
The Fox in the Snow (a little too intimate a song for such a large and ugly venue)
She's Losing It
Piazza, New York Catcher (the SF crowd ate this one up, what with all the City references)
Your Cover's Blown
We Are the Sleepyheads
Jonathan David (plus they pulled up some lucky woman to do an "interpretive dance" for this one)
Dog on Wheels
I'm A Cuckoo (with lots of blinding spotlights)
White Collar Boy (this was great live)
Judy and the Dream of Horses
---------
Simple Things
The Boy with the Arab Strap
I would have loved to hear "Woman's Realm" or ""The State I'm In" or Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying" (you can see I'm something of an old-school B&S fan here), but I can't complain.
But let's rewind about two and a half hours earlier to the opening act The New Pornographers, who were simply fantastic. (This was when I was still a third of the way in, but moved back to see my friends L&J at the soundboard when people inexplicably started pushing.) I think in the general scheme of musical things I enjoy them more; I'm a powerpop fiend at heart. I think the New Pornographers are Bejarless and Caseless this tour, which means, unfortunately, no songs with vocals stretched to the breaking point like the awesome "Letter from an Occupant." Kathryn Calder handled the singing well, though, particularly on "The Laws Have Changed."
The set began with "Use It," and even this early on the crowd was already pogoing. A few songs from each of their three albums (plus "Graceland" from the Matador comp) made it into the set, including (yay!) "From Blown Speakers" and "The Slow Descent into Alcoholism," ending their too-short portion of the concert with "Sing Me Spanish Techno."
(A fairly similar version of the concerts, from a Washington, D.C. date, can be downloaded from NPR.)
Posted by the wily filipino at April 1, 2006 04:35 PM